DEFENCE

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has an Occupational Welfare Service, whose role is to help keep people effective at work through the provision of support and advice to staff and managers. All civilian staff have access to this service and Welfare Officers are trained in counselling skills, which they use in discussions with individuals.

Army Strength

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) strength of the (i) Royal Corps of Signals, (ii) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (iii) Royal Armoured Corps was (A) in May 2000, (B) in May 2001, (C) in May 2002 and (D) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The following tables show the requirement and trained strength of Royal Corps of Signals, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Royal Armoured Corps. Officer strengths exclude full Colonels and above.
	
		
			 May 2000   May 2001 
			   Officer Soldier Total Officer Soldier Total 
		
		
			 RSIGNALS Liability 991 7,668 8,659 991 7,668 8,659 
			  Strength 908 7,343 8,251 877 7,198 8,075 
			 REME Liability 870 9,850 10,720 870 9,850 10,720 
			  Strength 817 8,450 9,267 803 8,361 9,164 
			 RAC Liability 866 5,023 5,889 866 5,023 5,889 
			  Strength 800 4,812 5,612 825 4,853 5,678 
		
	
	
		
			 May 2002   April 2003 
			   Officer Soldier Total Officer Soldier Total 
		
		
			 RSIGNALS Liability 991 7,668 8,659 991 7,668 8,659 
			  Strength 908 7,205 8,113 923 7,563 8,486 
			 REME Liability 870 9,850 10,720 870 9,850 10,720 
			  Strength 827 8,431 9,258 823 8,741 9,564 
			 RAC Liability 866 5,023 5,889 866 5,023 5,889 
			  Strength 835 4,940 5,775 834 5,034 5,868

Army Strength

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) strength of the (i) Royal Engineers, (ii) Army Corps of Music, (iii) Adjutant General's Corps and (iv) QARANC was (A) in May 2000, (B) in May 2001, (C) in May 2002 and (D) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The tables show the requirement and trained strength of the Royal Engineers (RE), Army Corps of Music (CAMus), Adjutant General's Corps (AGC) and QARANC. Officer strengths exclude full Colonels and above.
	
		
			 May 2000   May 2001 
			   Offr Sldr Total Offr Sldr Total 
		
		
			 RE Liability 1,186 8,005 9,191 1,186 8,005 9,191 
			  Strength 1,105 7,258 8,363 1,124 7,397 8,521 
			 CAMus Liability 36 1,118 1,154 36 1,118 1,154 
			  Strength 37 1,011 1,048 35 987 1,022 
			 AGC Liability 1,056 6,150 7,206 1,056 6,150 7,206 
			  Strength 1,001 6,108 7,109 1,038 5,984 7,022 
			 QARANC Liability 354 651 1,005 354 651 1,005 
			  Strength 272 392 664 274 391 665 
		
	
	
		
			 May 2002   April 2003 
			   Offr Sldr Total Offr Sldr Total 
		
		
			 RE Liability 1,186 8,005 9,191 1,186 8,005 9,191 
			  Strength 1,116 7,432 8,548 1,141 7,603 8,744 
			 CAMus Liability 36 1,118 1,154 36 1,118 1,154 
			  Strength 33 991 1,024 34 988 1,022 
			 AGC Liability 1,056 6,150 7,206 1,056 6,150 7,206 
			  Strength 1,035 5,846 6,881 1,053 5,969 7,022 
			 QARANC Liability 354 651 1,005 354 651 1,005 
			  Strength 285 409 694 280 428 708

Army Strength

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the targets were for the trained strength of the Royal Electrical and Military Engineers battalions in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are the specialist corps responsible for the technical maintenance of equipment within the Army. The tables below show the targets for trained strength for REME battalions in each year since 2000.
	
		REME Battalions as at April 2000
		
			 ARM PTE LCPL CPL SGT SSGT WO2 WO1 LT CAPT MAJ LTCOL 
		
		
			 AGCS 17 11 28 14 7 10 0 3 6 0 0 
			 APTC 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 E2 16 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RAMC 0 0 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 REME 306 405 435 278 116 69 23 39 52 25 6 
			 RLC 96 81 42 33 11 8 0 0 4 0 0 
			 RM 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RSIG 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Totals 435 500 512 340 138 87 23 42 62 25 6 
		
	
	
		REME Battalions as at April 2001
		
			 Army PTE LCPL CPL SGT SSGT WO2 W01 LT CAPT MAJ LTCOL 
		
		
			  
			  
			 AGCS 22 18 35 16 8 13 0 7 7 0 0 
			 APTC 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 E2 2 28 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RAMC 0 0 11 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 REME 345 451 573 275 140 71 31 34 82 35 7 
			 RLC 92 97 59 42 14 11 3 0 5 0 0 
			 RSIG 0 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Totals 461 594 678 347 168 100 34 41 95 35 7 
		
	
	
		REME Battalions as at April 2002
		
			 Army PTE LCPL CPL SGT SSGT WO2 W01 LT CAPT MAJ LTCOL 
		
		
			  
			  
			 AGCS 22 19 33 15 7 14 0 7 7 0 0 
			 APTC 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 E2 0 34 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RAMC 0 0 8 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 REME 346 368 480 204 112 65 28 31 81 34 7 
			 RLC 65 79 40 28 13 8 3 0 5 0 0 
			 RSIG 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Totals 432 500 561 261 193 93 31 38 94 34 7 
		
	
	
		REME Battalions as at April 2003
		
			 Army PTE LCPL CPL SGT SSGT WO2 W01 LT CAPT MAJ LTCOL 
		
		
			  
			  
			 AGCS 22 15 28 15 7 14 0 6 7 0 0 
			 APTC 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 E2 0 24 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 
			 RAMC 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 REME 221 238 324 145 72 53 23 21 68 29 7 
			 RLC 45 51 25 19 11 7 2 0 3 0 0 
			 RSIG 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Totals 288 328 383 190 97 80 25 27 79 29 7

D-Day Anniversary

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government has to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of D-Day; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: Although preparations have not been concluded, the intention is for the Government and armed forces to be represented at Ministerial and senior officer level at parades and services in Normandy being organised by the French Comite du Debarquement, and the Army will provide a band. Appropriate representation will also be provided at a service of remembrance and thanksgiving which will take place at St. Paul's Cathedral later in the year.

Defence Attachés

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries in which UK defence attachés are in place.

Lewis Moonie: United Kingdom Defence Attachés/Advisors are currently serving in the following 82 locations.
	
		
			 Country City 
		
		
			 Albania Tirana 
			 Angola Luanda 
			 Argentina Buenos Aires 
			 Australia Canberra 
			 Austria Vienna 
			 Bahrain Manama 
			 Barbados Bridgetown 
			 Belgium Brussels 
			 Brazil Brasilia 
			 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan 
			 Bulgaria Sofia 
			 Canada Ottawa 
			 Chile Santiago 
			 China Beijing 
			 Colombia Bogota 
			 Congo DRC Kinshasa 
			 Croatia Zagreb 
			 Cyprus Nicosia 
			 Czech Republic Prague 
			 Denmark Copenhagen 
			 Egypt Cairo 
			 Ethiopia Addis Ababa (as from 1 June 2003) 
			 Finland Helsinki 
			 France Paris 
			 Georgia Tbilisi 
			 Germany Berlin 
			 Ghana Accra 
			 Greece Athens 
			 Guatemala Guatemala City 
			 Hungary Budapest 
			 India New Delhi 
			 Indonesia Jakarta 
			 Ireland Dublin 
			 Israel Tel Aviv 
			 Italy Rome 
			 Jamaica Kingston 
			 Japan Tokyo 
			 Jordan Amman 
			 Kazakhstan Almaty 
			 Kenya Nairobi 
			 Korea Seoul 
			 Kuwait Kuwait City 
			 Latvia Riga 
			 Lebanon Beirut 
			 Lithuania Vilnius 
			 Macedonia Skopje 
			 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 
			 Morocco Rabat 
			 Nepal Kathmandu 
			 Netherlands The Hague 
			 New Zealand Wellington 
			 Nigeria Abuja 
			 Norway Oslo 
			 Oman Muscat 
			 Pakistan Islamabad 
			 Philippines Manila 
			 Poland Warsaw 
			 Portugal Lisbon 
			 Qatar Doha 
			 Romania Bucharest 
			 Russia Moscow 
			 Saudi Arabia Riyadh 
			 Serbia & Montenegro Belgrade 
			 Sierra Leone Freetown 
			 Singapore Singapore 
			 Slovak Republic Bratislava 
			 Slovenia Ljubljana 
			 South Africa Pretoria 
			 Spain Madrid 
			 Sri Lanka Colombo 
			 Sweden Stockholm 
			 Switzerland Berne 
			 Syria Damascus 
			 Thailand Bangkok 
			 Turkey Ankara 
			 Uganda Kampala 
			 Ukraine Kyiv 
			 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 
			 USA Washington 
			 Uzbekistan Tashkent 
			 Venezuela Caracas 
			 Zimbabwe Harare

Document Classification

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many documents are held by his Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification.

Lewis Moonie: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 695W. The position is the same for the Ministry of Defence.

Equipment and Maintenance Personnel

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) strength of REME and RE trades relating to the maintenance of equipment is, stating in each case the (i) trade and (ii) percentage shortfall from establishment requirement; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are the specialist corps responsible for the technical maintenance of equipment within the Army and not the Royal Engineers (RE). The tables below show the requirement and trained strength of REME trade groups. Information on individual trades is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		REME Trade Groups
		
			 Army/CorpsTrade Group(REME) Requirement Strength ± Percentages 
		
		
			 Artificer Aircraft 86 132 46 53.5 
			 Artificer Avionics 46 55 9 19.6 
			 Artificer Electronics 189 327 138 73.0 
			 Artificer Vehicles 476 520 44 9.2 
			 Artificer Weapons 80 119 39 48.8 
			 Technician Aircraft 600 602 2 0.3 
			 Technician Avionics 259 299 40 15.4 
			 Technical Electronics 905 969 64 7.1 
			 Armourer 679 594 -85 -12.5 
			 Metalsmith 233 229 -4 -1.7 
			 Recovery Mechanic 591 454 -137 -23.2 
			 Shipwright 29 27 -2 -6.9 
			 Technical Storeman 334 300 -200 -36.2 
			 Vehicle Electrician 553 353 -200 -36.2 
			 Vehicle Mechanic 4,124 3,432 -692 -16.8 
			 Total 9.184 8,412 -772 -8.4

Family Aftercare

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is available for commanders on how best to address family after-care and advice in cases of bereavement or serious training injury; what changes to guidance will be made following the review undertaken by the principal personnel officers; and if he will place copies of advice in the Library.

Lewis Moonie: Each of the services has a well-defined and practised casualty reporting procedure with written guidance available to commanders and their staffs involved in bereavement aftercare. The guidance has recently been reviewed and new guidance issued where this was thought necessary. In addition, commanders and their visiting officers who are tasked with assisting bereaved families are able to draw upon the expertise and experience of unit welfare staffs (including service chaplains) and the Casualty Co-ordination Cell in each service. Aftercare guides and videos have been produced in order to help with the training of commanding officers, their personnel staffs and visiting officers.

Halton Army Training Camp

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to sell the Halton Army Training Camp in Lancaster; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: There is no intention to dispose of Halton Camp. A proposal is under consideration to sell off part of the camp to finance a re-build of the retained part.
	Internal planning is at an early stage and no decisions have yet been taken.

Iraq

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist to release reservists serving in the Iraq theatre.

Lewis Moonie: As the Secretary of State for Defence stated on 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 15–16WS, we will continue to withdraw assets and personnel from the region where possible, but we will maintain an appropriate military presence for as long as is necessary. The requirement for Reservists will match this pattern. As at 12 May some 533 Reservists serving on Operation Telic had been demobilised.

Iraq

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts are being made to return TA soldiers serving in the Gulf to their employers at the earliest opportunity.

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the reservists on duty in Iraq will be brought home.

Lewis Moonie: As the my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence stated in his written ministerial statement on 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 15–16WS, we will continue to withdraw assets and personnel from the region where possible, but we will maintain an appropriate military presence for as long as is necessary. The requirement for Reservists will match this pattern. As at 12 May 2003 some 533 Reservists serving on Op TELIC had been demobilised.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of his staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year;
	(2)  how many sick days were lost over the last year by his Department through staff mental health problems.

Lewis Moonie: In 2002, 106,081 sick days were due to mental health problems. This figure includes stress related and non-stress related mental illnesses. 2,559 staff took sick leave due to mental health problems. This figure includes civilian non-industrial staff but do not include industrial staff, Ministry of Defence trading funds and RFA's.
	MOD is committed to improving the health of its staff and managing sick absence more effectively. The department has a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for all our employees and have a commitment under the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative to meet targets for reducing the number of working days lost generally due to work related injuries and illnesses.

Ministry Land

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) improvements to and (b) restrictions placed upon access to land owned by his Department since 1997.

Lewis Moonie: Since 1997 improvements to public access to the defence estate include:
	the continuing implementation of specific objectives published in the Estate Strategy 'In Trust and On Trust' (published in 2000), an important part of which related to the introduction of Environmental Management Systems and Integrated Rural Management Plans (IRMPs), which address public access;
	the appointment of dedicated Access and Recreation Officers for the Army Training Estate (ATE) in general, and Otterburn Training Area in particular;
	a programme of Public Access Studies which are identifying access opportunities at a number of Army Training areas;
	improved provision of information, such as site specific leaflets and the revised Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands booklet (published in 2001), and the Defence Estates Access website.
	Work is also being carried out on the development of methodology for path condition and visitor surveys; and also for disabled access provision.
	Public access to the defence estate is kept under continuous review but is, of course, subject to operational, safety and conservation requirements, as well as the interests of our tenants.
	MOD has an Access and Recreation Working Group which works closely with Statutory Bodies and Non Government Organisations through an Access and Recreation Focus Group.
	Access issues are included in the Environmental Law and Policy Course and the Conservation Course provided for MOD staff by the Department of Specialist Management Training (RAF Halton).

Reserves

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the call out notices issued by his Department, broken down by type of notice, for the call out of reserves in each year since 1997, stating in each case (a) the unit to be called up, (b) the units to which the reserves were attached, (c) the location of the deployment, (d) the numbers of reserves sought and (e) the number achieved; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested is not centrally held and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Reserves

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Territorial Army, (b) Royal Naval Reserve, (c) Royal Auxiliary Air Force, (d) Royal Marines Reserve and (e) Regular Reserve were (i) deployed and (ii) called up in connection with Operation Telic.

Lewis Moonie: As at 2 May 2003, the information requested for Operation Telic was as follows.
	
		
			  Call-out notices served Accepted into service 
		
		
			 Royal Navy  
			 Regular Reserve (RFR) 0 0 
			 Volunteer Reserve (RNR) 354 282 
			
			 Royal Marines  
			 Regular Reserve (RFR) 0 0 
			 Volunteer Reserve (RMR) 136 112 
			
			 Army   
			 Regular Reserve (RAR) 1,288 214 
			 Volunteer Reserve (TA) 5,252 3,480 
			
			 RAF   
			 Regular Reserve (RAFR) 526 148 
			 Volunteer Reserve (RAuxAF) 1,150 831 
			 Total 8,706 5,067

Retention

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the retention rates were for (a) male and (b) female NCOs in each of the services in each of the last five years.

Lewis Moonie: Retention may be measured by looking at either the Premature Voluntary Release (PVR) rate that shows the number leaving voluntarily before the end of their engagement during a financial year as a proportion of trained strength, or the outflow rate, the total number of NCOs leaving the service during a financial year as a proportion of trained strength.
	Figures for each service are as follows:
	1. Naval Service NCO Retention
	
		Percentage
		
			  NCO PVR rates NCO outflow rates 
			  Male Female Male Female  
		
		
			 1998–99 2.6 9.2 9.2 13.2 
			 1999–2000 3.4 12.6 10.4 16.4 
			 2000–01 3.3 7.3 9.5 11.4 
			 2001–02 4.2 8.7 9.5 12.5 
			 2002–03 2.9 5.7 8.3 10.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	Data includes figures for Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
	NCO is taken as leading rate and above.
	2. Army NCO Retention
	
		Percentage
		
			  NCO PVR rates NCO outflow rates 
			  Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 1998–99 5.6 10.7 9.3 13.4 
			 1999–2000 4.7 9.0 8.8 11.6 
			 2000–01 4.9 8.0 8.9 10.8 
			 2001–02 4.4 8.1 8.4 10.3 
			 2002–03 4.1 7.6 8.4 11.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	NCO is defined as lance corporal and above.
	3. Royal Air Force NCO Retention
	
		Percentage
		
			  NCO PVR rates NCO outflow rates 
			  Male Female Male Female 
		
		
			 1998–99 3.7 4.8 6.5 7.8 
			 1999–2000 3.9 5.2 7.3 7.1 
			 2000–01 3.5 5.4 7.3 8.1 
			 2001–02 3.8 4.8 7.7 7.9 
			 2002–03 3.7 5.7 7.9 9.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	NCO is defined as corporal and above.

Service Medals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Committee headed by General Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank will report on the review of the issuing of a Medal to those who served in the Suez Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May Official Report, column 274W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew).

TRANSPORT

Alconbury Airfield

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the proposed airfield at Alconbury would be suitable for use by 747 Jumbo aircraft.

David Jamieson: With a runway length of over 2,700 metres aircraft up to Boeing 747 size could use Alconbury (but not at maximum loads).
	The option of a small-scale development at Alconbury, presented in "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East (second edition)" consultation document, allows for the use of a typical aircraft of the Boeing 737–700 type.

Aviation Safety

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will press the Council of Ministers to refer proposals by the European Parliament for increased flying hours to the European Aviation Safety Agency.

David Jamieson: The European Aviation Safety Agency, which was established in September 2002, currently has no powers in the fields of operator and personnel licensing. However the Commission is required to bring forward by October this year proposals to extend the scope of the Agency to cover these fields, which would include rules on flying hours.
	The European Parliament's proposals on flight time limitation rules take the form of a first reading amendment to a proposed Regulation which would adopt EC standards for commercial airline operations, based on Joint Aviation Authorities requirements. The Council has not yet discussed the Parliament's amendment and it is for the Presidency to decide whether and when such a discussion should take place. The timing and substance of any such discussion are likely to be influenced by the development of the Agency.

Central Railway

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional information he is awaiting before responding publicly to the report of the SRA on Central Railway; and from whom.

David Jamieson: We have asked for further information from Central Railway on several matters before any decision can be taken on whether the Department should support its project.
	In particular, we need to be assured that all outstanding operational and financial issues have been resolved.

Crossrail

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the preparatory and planning costs incurred on the proposed crossrail link in London.

David Jamieson: It is estimated that, from inception to the end of the 2002/2003 financial year, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) had incurred total costs of around £32 million on preparation and planning for Crossrail.

Crossrail

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects an announcement to be made on the future of Crossrail; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Transport to my hon. Friends the Members for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey), and Ilford, South (Mike Gapes) on 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 149.

East London Line

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on the future of the East London line extension.

David Jamieson: Not while there are matters before the Court of Appeal.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department have received honours; and how many honours are held by his officials, broken down by category of honour.

David Jamieson: Due to the machinery of Government changes over the past two years, these data are not held by my Department.

London Underground

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what limitations have been placed on Infracos involved in the refurbishment of the London Underground in passing further work to third party contractors.

David Jamieson: A significant proportion of London Underground's engineering work has always been delivered by approved contractors, where this is the most effective means. This will continue. The standards for approving contractors have not changed, and the PPP contracts require the Infrastructure Companies to continue to follow them.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year.

David Jamieson: During 2002, 107 staff in the centre of the Department for Transport have taken sick leave for causes which may be considered as 'mental health problems'.
	Information from the Department's Agencies is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sick days were lost over the last year by his Department through staff mental health problems.

David Jamieson: During 2002, the centre of the Department for Transport recorded 4,067 days as sick absence for causes, which may be considered as 'mental health problems'.
	Information from the Department's Agencies is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Motorways

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures will be taken by his Department to reduce noise levels emitted from the M5 for Hucclecote residents in the Gloucester constituency.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency has plans to lay a quieter road surface on both the northbound and southbound carriageways of the M5 motorway at Hucclecote for a length of 1.32km. This will be a continuation of the noise mitigation measures recently carried out at Upton St. Leonards.
	This work was recommended in a report on noise from the M5 at Hucclecote. I have asked the Highways Agency to send my hon. Friend a copy of the report and to keep him informed on future progress.

National Rail Card

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received covering the introduction of a national rail card to promote railway travel at off-peak times throughout the network.

David Jamieson: Following the Strategic Rail Authority's public consultation on their Fares Review, they received around a dozen responses from organisations proposing or supporting a National Railcard. This included a response sponsored by the Friends of the Earth, which consisted of around 1,200 individual postcards from members of the public. In reaching conclusions on future fares policy, Ministers will take account of these representations together with all other responses to the consultation. An announcement on the outcome of the review on national fares policy will be made shortly.

Pay Costs

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 5 March 2003, Official Report, columns 1030–31W, on DVLA, what the total pay costs incurred by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency were in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
	
		£000
		
			 Year Total pay costs 
		
		
			 1997 59,862 
			 1998 61,068 
			 1999 68,507 
			 2000 75,845 
			 2001 83,551 
			 2002 95,634 
		
	
	Extra staff were required by the Agency over this period for major new initiatives, projects to implement policy changes and safeguard delivery of the core business and increased workload. The exceptional rise in pay costs for 2002, i.e. to a greater proportion than the staff employed, was due to the fundamental restructuring of the Agency's pay system as the first and most significant impact of a five year pay deal agreed with the Unions. The restructuring is designed to address a number of issues, including:
	overcoming Equal Pay vulnerabilities
	aligning with Modernising Government agenda on Civil Service pay
	recruitment and retention of good quality staff and
	support for the Agency in taking forward a substantial programme of change.

Pay Costs

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 3 February 2003, Official Report, column 46W to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster), on railway staff, what the total pay costs incurred by the Office of the Rail Regulator were in each year since 1997.

David Jamieson: The total pay costs incurred by the Office of the Rail Regulator since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			 Year £000 
		
		
			 1997–98 4,099 
			 1998–99 4,558 
			 1999–2000 5,285 
			 2000–01 6,204 
			 2001–02 4,982 
			 2002–03 5,440

Port Developments

Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will determine the applications for port developments at (a) Dibden Bay, (b) London Gateway (Shellhaven) and (c) Bathside Bay together.

David Jamieson: These are separate applications running on individual timetables and there is no compelling reason why they should be determined together.

Public Service Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what EU legislation sets out a safety framework for public service vehicles, with particular reference to (a) non-fluorescent lighting and (b) low floor access.

David Jamieson: EC Directive 2001/85/EC covering the harmonisation of construction standards for the interior and bodywork design and accessibility for PSVs, includes the requirements for low floor access. The same directive also sets out the requirements for the internal lighting of these vehicles in respect of passenger safety and also the avoidance of reflective lighting for the driver. No distinction is made between fluorescent and non-fluorescent lighting.
	Exterior lighting on public service vehicles is regulated under EC Directive 76/756/EC which relates to the installation of exterior lighting and light signalling devices. EC Directives 76/758/EC, 77/759/EEC, 76/760/EC, 76/761/EC, 76/762/EC, 77/538/EC, 77/539/EC, 77/540/EC and their corresponding UNECE Regulations set standards for the individual lighting components. For all lighting other than headlamps, no distinction is made between fluorescent and non-fluorescent sources.
	UNECE Regulations 98 and 99 set specific standards for gas discharge headlamps.

Rail Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the major infrastructure developments are expected on the Cheltenham to London rail line, with special reference to resignalling.

David Jamieson: Network Rail advises that it is working with the Strategic Rail Authority to jointly develop schemes that will increase the flexibility of the network by improving the signalling system as well as undertaking a combination of life extension works and like for like renewals.

Rail Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on station re-opening, with special reference to parkways.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority has a responsibility to promote and secure the development of the rail network. Where appropriate, this will includes appraising proposals for the re-opening of railway lines and the development of new infrastructure such as stations, including parkway stations. The SRA considers all such proposals for investment on their merits, and in accordance with its robust
	appraisal criteria.

Rail Strikes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list payments made by the Strategic Rail Authority to train operating companies to compensate for income lost due to industrial action over the past year.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 May 2003
	In the past year, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has made payments of £12.65 million to National Express in respect of revenue loss by ScotRail arising from industrial action. This follows the introduction of a clause into all franchise agreements allowing the SRA, at its discretion, to compensate train operators for such losses. Payments will be made only where the SRA is satisfied that operators have done all they reasonably could to settle disputes and the cost must be accommodated from within the SRA's agreed budget.

Road Safety

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents involving motor cycles there were resulting in (a) death and (b) serious injury in each of the last five years; and how many of those involved were (i) males and (ii) females under 25 years old.

David Jamieson: The number of road traffic accidents in Great Britain involving motorcycles which resulted in (a) death and (b) serious injury in each of the last five years were as follows:
	
		Fatal and serious accidents involving motorcycles:
		
			  Accidents 
			 Year Fatal Serious 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997 538 6,085 
			 1998 523 6,102 
			 1999 569 6,479 
			 2000 649 6,910 
			 2001 618 6,888 
		
	
	And the number of (i) male and (ii) female casualties among motor cycle users under the age of 25 are shown in the following table:
	
		Motorcycle driver or rider casualties aged 24 and under, by gender and severity of casualty:
		
			   Casualties 
			   Male  Female 
			 Year Killed Serious Killed Serious 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997 138 1,696 14 229 
			 1998 114 1,589 15 235 
			 1999 132 1,703 17 185 
			 2000 129 1,908 13 226 
			 2001 136 1,921 7 204

Road Safety

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents caused by drivers under the age of 17 years resulted in (a) death and (b) serious injury in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The table gives the number of fatal and serious accidents in Great Britain where at least one driver under the age of 17 was involved. We have no information on whether the accident was caused by a young driver.
	
		Road accidents in which at least one driver under 17 was involved
		
			  Accidents 
			 Year Fatal Serious 
		
		
			 1997 69 1,503 
			 1998 52 1,353 
			 1999 56 1,408 
			 2000 56 1,275 
			 2001 60 1,264

Road Safety

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents there were in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in (a) death and (b) serious injury.

David Jamieson: The number of road traffic accidents in Great Britain in the last five years; and the number which resulted in (a) death and (b) serious injury are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Accidents 
			 Year Total Fatal Serious 
		
		
			 1997 240,287 3,298 36,330 
			 1998 238,923 3,137 34,633 
			 1999 235,048 3,138 33,267 
			 2000 233,729 3,108 32,499 
			 2001 229,014 3,176 31,588

Transport Statistics (London)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what figures he has collated on (a) average traffic speeds, (b) air pollution and (c) bus usage in central London since 17 February; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Department for Transport does not hold the specific figures requested. It is for Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor to do detailed monitoring of the London congestion charging scheme which started on 17 February. TfL are undertaking a comprehensive monitoring programme, using standard surveying techniques, covering relevant modes of transport. They are also proposing to examine wider economic and other impacts, including air quality. They have pledged to make all results available.
	The Government will consider the evaluation of the scheme and if there are significant gaps in TfL's study programme then the Government will commission work to fill them.
	Information on traffic levels and bus services since the scheme came into operation can be found on the TfL website at the following links:
	http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/press 666.shtml
	http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press cc news latest.shtml

Warsaw Convention

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend the Warsaw Convention in light of recent court judgments in England and Australia.

David Jamieson: At present there are no plans to amend international agreements on air carrier liability.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Anglian Water Group

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her action to monitor the compliance of Anglian Water Group with consumer standards regulations; and what the results of her monitoring were.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	The Director General of Water Services (Ofwat) monitors the performance of water companies as part of his duty to ensure that the interests of water customers are protected.
	Each year the water companies in England and Wales provide information to Ofwat on their performance against various aspects of service. In 2001–02, Anglian Water Group were ranked sixth out of the ten water and sewerage companies, in their overall delivery of services to customers.
	Information on company performance is available in the Ofwat report, Levels of Service for the Water Industry in England and Wales 2001–02, available in the Library of the House and on Ofwat's website.

Broadband

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of households in (a) Birmingham, Erdington, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK have taken up broadband connectivity.

Alan Johnson: According to Oftel (Internet and Broadband Brief) 7 per cent. of households in the UK had broadband connections by the end of April 2003. These data are not available for Erdington and the West Midlands.

Construction Industry (Liability Insurance)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the work being carried out by Davis Langdon Consultants on insurance in relation to the construction industry; and when Davis Langdon Consultants will be reporting their findings to her Department.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 12 May 2003
	Following representations received from the construction industry about the difficulties being experienced in obtaining insurance, as part of its sector sponsoring role within DTI, Construction Sector Unit (CSU) commissioned Davis Langdon Consultancy (DLC) to:
	establish the nature and extent of the difficulties contractors face in obtaining a range of different types of insurance;
	provide a clearer understanding of the reasons for the problems facing construction firms in terms of both insurance market aspects, operational practices and developments within construction itself, and;
	suggest how the industry could better represent its approach to risk assessment, management and control to the insurance industry, in ways that would help insurers better assess premiums.
	DLC was awarded the project following competitive tender. The project brief was designed as a 'scoping study' to provide a broad overview of the issues relatively quickly, rather than an in-depth analysis. Commenced in mid November 2002, DLC's report was submitted to the Department on 19 February 2003. The timing of the delivery of the report was in part dictated by the deadline for contributions to the DWP Review of Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI). Copies were issued to study participants, and officials leading on insurance matters at the OFT, DWP and Treasury, and since then to inquirers on request. Some minor amendments on points of detail have since been made in response to requests from two study participants and an amended version will be lodged on the DTI website in the next few days.
	The Department welcomes the report as providing a perspective on constructionspecific aspects adding value to the work of the other studies in the area, and concurs with its general thrust. It is not intended, and should not be taken as pre-judging the outcome of the DWP and OFT reviews which are due to be completed shortly.
	My officials are considering whether further focus on construction-specific aspects might be appropriate in conjunction with industry contacts. A secondee with specialist expertise in insurance risk management has been appointed for a six month period to help with this work.

Construction Industry (Liability Insurance)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the number of businesses in the construction industry which are operating without employers' liability insurance cover.

Brian Wilson: Responsibility for the enforcement of Employers Liability (Compulsary Insurance) (ELCI) lies with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). I understand that non-compliance is monitored by means of checks undertaken by HSE's Workplace Contact Officers and Health and Safety Inspectors.
	Prosecutions for all employers, not just construction, under ELCI is low at less than 1 per cent. HSE's estimate for non-compliance is based on the level of Enforcement Notices to Produce served for evidence of ELCI certificates. During the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 there were two Notices to Produce served on construction companies and two prosecutions.

Domestic Energy (Mis-selling)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of energy sales mis-selling there were in each local authority area in the last year for which figures are available; if she will list for each authority the total number of incidents; and if she will make a statement on energy sales mis-selling.

Brian Wilson: From April 2002 to March 2003, the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council (Energywatch) received 109,500 complaints, of which 12,954 were about mis-selling to domestic consumers. Energywatch does not collect figures on a local authority basis. The complaints received by its regional offices were:
	
		
			 Regional office Number of complaints 
		
		
			 Central 2,501 
			 Southern 1,324 
			 London and South East 3,367 
			 North West 2,007 
			 North East 2,015 
			 Scotland 897 
			 Wales 843 
		
	
	I have made it clear to the industry that it must address the continuing problems of mis-selling. Over the past year, it has made considerable efforts to do so, and has introduced the EnergySure staff training scheme and a Code of Practice on direct selling. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), which regulates the sales activities of energy suppliers, may take investigative and enforcement action, including levying financial penalties, against any supplier that breaches the terms of its supply licence. In November 2002, Ofgem fined London Electricity 2 million for mis-selling under its own brand aid that of Virgin Energy.

Electricity Industry

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what compensatory measures to other electricity generators are contained within the British Energy restructuring package submitted by the Secretary of State to the European Commission on 7 March.

Brian Wilson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 13 March 2003, Official Report, column 360W.
	In restructuring aid cases, the question of whether there should be compensatory measures is a matter for the Commission to assess based on a variety of factors including characteristics of the market and the extent of any distortion of competition.

Employment Rights

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to prevent foreign citizens who are not based in the UK from making a tribunal claim under the Employment Rights Act, following the repeal in 1999 of section 196 of the Act; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: None. The repeal of territorial limits in the 1996 Act ensured that the UK fulfils its EU obligations and removed an obstacle to fair treatment in a few cases. For the Act to apply to any particular case there must first be some proper connection with Great Britain.

End of Life Vehicles Directive

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the End of Life Vehicles Directive.

Brian Wilson: Draft regulations to implement a number of provisions in the End of Life Vehicles Directive were published for consultation on 7 March. There will be further consultation in due course on draft regulations covering those provisions in the Directive which do not take effect until 2006 and beyond.

LPG

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many liquefied petroleum gas outlets there were in the UK (a) in 1997, (b) in 2001 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Brian Wilson: The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (LPGA) informed the Department of the following figures on the LPG outlets:
	
		
			 End of 1997 End of 2001 2003 
		
		
			 100 1,000 1,260 
		
	
	The latest figure of 1,260 was taken from the LPGA website (last updated on 24 April 2003).

Nuclear Waste

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the timetable is for the creation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Brian Wilson: For planning purposes, the target date for establishing the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on a fully operational basis is April 2005. This assumes that implementing legislation can be bought forward in the next Session of Parliament but this is subject to decisions on the Government's Legislative Programme. Draft legislation will be published shortly for comment.

Nuclear Waste

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with (a) DEFRA, (b) the industry and (c) green groups on the storage of nuclear waste.

Brian Wilson: The Department has regular discussions with DEFRA and the nuclear industry on issues associated with the storage of radioactive waste. Environmental groups have also raised the issue with my officials in the context of discussions on implementation of the proposals set out in the White Paper on Managing the Nuclear Legacy (Cm5552) which was published last July.

Small Businesses

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the services to be funded by the resources allocated to the local network category in the small business section on page 96 of the DTI's Expenditure Plans 200203 to 200304, Cm 5416; how much funding is allocated to each service; and what the function of each service is.

Nigel Griffiths: The activities to be funded in 200304 under the local network category of the DTI Expenditure Plans report for 200203 to 200304 are: Business Link Core Services Budget140.5 million. This budget is allocated to 45 Regional Business Link Operators (BLOs) to deliver business support services for the benefit and the development of small and medium sized enterprises by increasing employment, productivity and helping to stimulate an increased level of business start-ups in the BLO's locality.
	Local Network Development3.7 million. This funding supports SBS head office and regional activities designed to enhance and develop the effectiveness of the BLO network and to support the SBS strategy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Food Imports (Animal Welfare)

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to encourage the inclusion of animal welfare considerations in bilateral agreements on food imports.

Elliot Morley: The Government have pressed hard for animal welfare considerations to be included in the WTO multilateral negotiations for a new Agreement on Agriculture. I am pleased to say that the first draft of the new Agreement contains proposals for specific measures on this issue.

Agriculture Discussions (Welsh Assembly)

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to visit Cardiff to discuss agricultural issues of mutual interest with the First Secretary and other relevant Secretaries of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Margaret Beckett: I have no plans to visit Cardiff at present, but look forward to meeting the new Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside at one of my regular meetings with Ministers representing the Devolved Administrations agriculture interests.

Genetically Modified Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the consultation process for GM crops.

Michael Meacher: The consultation process on applications for approval to market GM crops in the European Union is carried out by the European Commission under Directive 2001/18. There are periods of public consultation on the initial application and on the assessment by the member state handling the application. Anyone can submit comments, which are circulated to all member states to inform their own scrutiny.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of progress in reforming the Common Agricultural Policy.

Alun Michael: Commission proposals for reform of the CAP are under active discussion and we expect these to reach a critical stage at the June Council. We are working hard for a positive outcome.

Waste Incinerators (Essex)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will visit Colchester to inspect sites put forward by Essex county council for waste incinerators.

Michael Meacher: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no immediate plans to visit the sites put forward by Essex county council for waste incinerators. However, if the hon. Member wishes to send me an invitation, it will of course be considered.

Waste Incinerators (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on smells affecting communities.

Alun Michael: I meet frequently with the Environment Agency to discuss areas of concern about the operation of landfill sites and other waste facilities, including any odours that may be affecting local communities.

Farming (Upland Areas)

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the prospects for farming businesses in upland areas.

Alun Michael: The Government recognise the importance of farming business in upland areas, and the contribution they can make to the upland environment, economy and community. I am aware of the anxiety about CAP reform and its impact on the uplands, but economic analysis undertaken by the Department suggests there will be an improvement in prospects for UK agriculture overall. These and other factors will be taken into account in our current review of Hill Farm Allowance, on which public consultation is under way.

Steel Industry (Carbon Dioxide Emissions)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of carbon dioxide emissions was attributable to the steel industry in each of the last three years.

Michael Meacher: Emissions from the UK iron and steel industry accounted for some 5.9, 5.4 and 4.5 per cent. of UK carbon dioxide emissions in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 respectively. The corresponding figure in 2002 was provisionally 3.8 per cent.

Common Fisheries Policy

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received regarding the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Elliot Morley: A considerable amount of correspondence has been received about the measures agreed at the December Council on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy from a range of stakeholders.

Animal By-product Waste

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with retailers about proposals to classify uncooked meat and fish as animal by-product waste.

Elliot Morley: The Animal By-Products Regulation 1774/2002 maintains the same principle as the previous Council Directive 90/667/EEC (the Animal Waste Directive) which classified uncooked meat and fish as an animal by-product. This has already been transposed into domestic legislation (Animal By-Products Order 1999).
	Defra has worked closely with industry representatives and enforcement bodies during the negotiations on the EU Animal By-Products Regulation to identify practical difficulties, and where possible to secure transitional measures to give industry time to make the changes necessary to comply with the new requirements.
	Officials held meetings with food manufacturers and animal by-product disposal companies on the 11 April and again on the 29 April with retailers and the disposal industry to discuss the implementation of the new rules.
	We will continue to meet with the affected sectors to discuss the progress being made and problems that arise.

Darwin Mounds

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she will take to protect the Darwin Mounds.

Elliot Morley: Regulations transposing that Directive are currently being prepared. I expect these to be the subject of a public consultation exercise shortly. As soon as they are in place the site will be formally proposed by the UK to the European Commission. In parallel, the UK is actively discussing emergency fisheries measures with the European Commission aimed at protecting the site.

Farm Incomes

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income of farming families in Shrewsbury and Atcham was in the last year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: No information is available on the personal incomes of farming families. Estimates of farm business income are obtainable from a sample survey, but results are not available at constituency level because the size of the sample is too small.
	Net farm income for full-time farms in the West Midlands Government Office Region in 200102, excluding farms involved in the compulsory FMD cull, was 12,200/farm. This compares with 13,600/farm for England as a whole.
	Net farm income is the return to the principle farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and to the tenant-type capital of the business.

Fishing Industry

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Water and Nature Protection will visit Brixham to discuss with fishermen the future of the fishing industry.[R]

Elliot Morley: I hope to meet with representatives from the leading fishermen's organisations in the south west in early July.

GM Field Trials

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the Ministers who will be involved in deciding the Government's response to the results of the GM field trials.

Michael Meacher: The Government's response to the results of the GM field trials will be decided through the SCI(BIO) Cabinet Sub-Committee and in consultation with the devolved Administrations.

Harbinson Agreement

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the Harbinson draft framework agreement on agriculture recently published by the WTO.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 13 May 2003
	The Government welcome the level of ambition in the Harbinson proposals and the ideas to help developing countries. However the Government are concerned at a lack of balance, which requires far more from the EU than from some of our other major trading partners, including the USA. Nevertheless the Harbinson paper provides a negotiating basis on which we can build. The Government will continue to work hard within the EU and with other trading partners to achieve an agreement acceptable to all parties as part of the outcome to the 5th Meeting of the WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico, this September.

Landfill

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many co-disposal hazardous waste sites will close as a result of the United Kingdom's implementation of the EU Landfill Directive of 1999; and what volume of waste is involved in such closures.

Michael Meacher: Under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, co-disposal of waste will end in July 2004. While it is unlikely that many landfill sites will close as a result of this provision, it is expected that a large number will change classification from hazardous to non-hazardous landfill sites at that time.
	What this constitutes in terms of waste cannot at present be estimated, but all waste generated has to be either re-used, recycled, recovered or disposed of regardless of the number of landfill sites available. It is Government policy to move waste up the hierarchy and thereby move towards more sustainable ways of dealing with waste than is achieved by disposal to landfill.

Ofwat

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the penalties that Ofwat may impose on water companies to improve customer service and satisfaction.

Elliot Morley: The Water Bill, which was published on 20 February, brings forward proposals to impose penalties of up to 10 per cent. of companies' turnover where they contravene the conditions of their licences or other statutory requirements. The Bill, once it becomes law, will require Ofwat to consult on and publish a statement of its policies with regard to the imposition of such penalties.

Ofwat

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers Ofwat has to insist that water companies should backdate refunds or rebates to 1 April 2000.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State supports the provision of rebates for customers whose surface water does not flow into public sewers. This involves a reallocation of charges between non-connected customers and other customers, which is taken into account on a year-by-year basis. Neither Ofwat nor the Government can require companies to offer retrospective rebates, or periods with no charge in lieu of past payments. Such a scheme would imply retrospective increases for other customers, which is against the Government's policy of stable and predictable charging.

Packaging Regulations

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those European Union measures, pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste, which are under discussion at European Union level, which have an impact on produce packaging by the food industry.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	The current revision to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive primarily relates to increased targets for recovery and recycling of all packaging, irrespective of type. Produce packaging is not specifically mentioned.

Pay Review

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 8 April 2003, Official Report, column 133W, on the pay review, if she will place a copy of her Department's action plan in the Library.

Alun Michael: Defra has completed an Equal Pay Review in line with guidance from the Cabinet Office. A draft action plan has been submitted to the Cabinet Office by the deadline of the 30 April. Defra senior management are considering the review's conclusions and the ways in which the action plan can be implemented. Once these discussions have been concluded, a copy of the Defra action plan will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Salmon

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the Scottish Executive on preventing the crossbreeding, disease and pollution of wild salmon in the rivers of north east England from farmed salmon in Scotland.

Elliot Morley: No such representations have been made.

Salmon

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken with the Scottish Executive to jointly manage the Tweed and its tributaries to protect wild salmon from pollution, disease and crossbreeding with farmed salmon.

Elliot Morley: Management responsibilities for the River Tweed and its tributaries lie with the River Tweed Commissioners, and the River Tweed Council which acts on their behalf. The Scottish Executive maintains dialogue with the Commissioners on a range of issues. Freshwater aquaculture units are subject to inspection by the Fish Health Inspectorate. Defra and the Scottish Executive operate surveillance programmes with a view to maintaining freedom from serious fish diseases.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Schools (Barnet)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from headteachers in Barnet on their ability (a) to set a standstill budget this year and (b) to fund the work/life balance reforms due this autumn; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 14 April 2003
	The Department has received a number of representations from headteachers and governors of schools in Barnet expressing concern regarding the budget allocations they have received from their local education authority. Among these, some have raised related issues such as the lack of sufficient funding to enable other school staff to support teachers. I understand that although the London borough of Barnet has increased its schools budget by 11 per cent. or 17 million the individual schools budget has only been increased by 7.8 per cent. or 10.5 million. Schools that followed earlier advice on freeing teachers from administrative duties should find that implementing the commitments on school workforce reform this autumn makes no additional demand on their resources. Other schools, working where necessary with fellow schools and their LEA, should aim to follow their example.

Counselling Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are made in his Department to allow staff to access counselling services.

Charles Clarke: My Department recognises the importance of offering support to staff to help them manage difficulties that may arise from their work or home lives and has a contract with Care First Welfare to provide counselling services.
	The contract provides all members of staff with access to confidential counselling 24 hours a day, every day of the year via a free phone number. In addition, there is face to face counselling, debt management advice, a legal help line, and an information service on a wide range of issues including national and local helping agencies.

Pupil Spending

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per pupil spending figure was in (a) South Tyneside, (b) the North East and (c) England in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		South Tyneside LEA and the North East of England: Average expenditure per pupil
		
			  Pre-primary and primary Secondary Pre-primary, primary and secondary 
		
		
			 South Tyneside
			 199798 1,960 2,650 2,230 
			 199899 2,120 2,760 2,370 
			 199900 2,300 2,780 2,500 
			 200001 2,620 2,970 2,770 
			 200102 2,910 3,430 3,130 
			 
			 North East
			 199798 2,070 2,720 2,350 
			 199899 2,190 2,780 2,440 
			 199900 2,360 2,870 2,580 
			 200001 2,550 3,070 2,780 
			 200102 2,810 3,330 3,050 
			 
			 England
			 199798 2,150 2,900 2,420 
			 199899 2,270 2,940 2,520 
			 199900 2,410 2,980 2,650 
			 200001 2,610 3,140 2,830 
			 200102 2,850 3,400 3,090 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Net Current Expenditure (NCE) includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by LEAs. The spend per pupil figures for pre-primary/primary relate the gross current expenditure (after recharges) in the pre-primary sector and maintained primary schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained nursery and primary schools sector.
	2. Real Terms figures are adjusted to 200102 prices using the March 2003 GDP deflators.
	3. Pre-primary, primary and secondary column contains the per pupil costs across all three phases of education. The figure is not a 'sum' but a weighted average of the previous two columns figures.
	4. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	5. Financial data are drawn from the RO1 forms up to 199899 and from the DfES Section 52 outturn statements from 19992000.
	6. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	7. SEN Schools expenditure not included because it distorts the unit costs and can make meaningful comparison difficult.

Schools Assessment Criteria

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria are used to assess the gap between the best and worst performing (a) secondary and (b) primary schools; whether this gap is widening or narrowing; and at what rate.

David Miliband: The Department uses a range of Key Stage and GCSE/GNVQ performance measures to report publicly on the attainment of pupils in their schools. Achievement information for individual schools is published in Performance Tables, and the Department's autumn package of pupil performance contains several school level attainment distributions for groups of schools categorised by different proportions of pupils 'known to be eligible for free school meals', and by different levels of aggregate pupil prior attainment.
	The following tables show two changes in the national distributions of school performances:
	(a) Percentage of pupils achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ.
	
		
			  Year Percentage point 
			 Percentile 1997 2002 Change 
		
		
			 95th 89 93 4 
			 Upper quartile 55 62 7 
			 60th 46 53 7 
			 Median 41 48 7 
			 40th 36 43 7 
			 Lower quartile 27 34 7 
			 5th 14 18 4 
		
	
	(b) Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4+ at Key Stage 2 English.
	Source:DfES Autumn Package
	
		
			  Year Percentage Point 
			 Percentile 1997 2002 Change 
		
		
			 95th 93 97 4 
			 Upper quartile 78 87 9 
			 60th 71 82 11 
			 Median 67 78 11 
			 40th 61 73 12 
			 Lower quartile 52 66 14 
			 5th 32 46 14 
		
	
	Source
	DfES Autumn Package
	These show that since 1997 the range of performance at Key Stage 2 has decreased with the performance of schools in the lowest quartile increasing faster than the national average. Improvement in school performance for the GCSE/GNVQ measure has been broadly the same across the attainment distribution.

Skills Development

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what figures he collated for annual expenditure on skills development for persons over 16 (a) by publicly-financed and (b) by private sector providers in the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: Latest figures for expenditure and training by my Department on education and training over the last three years will be contained in the Departmental Report which was published on Wednesday 14 May 2003. Information is not available on expenditure on skills development by all private sector providers. A survey conducted in 2000 estimated that the cost of providing off-the-job training for employers with 10 or more employees is 9 billion per year, excluding trainee wages, and that employers with 10 or more employees incur total costs on training of 23.5 billion per year, including trainee wages and on-the job training.

Supply Teachers

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what percentage supply teachers represent of the total number of teachers in (a) Jarrow, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) England;
	(2)  how many supply teachers have worked in (a) Jarrow, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) England in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many supply teachers are working in (a) Jarrow, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) England.

David Miliband: The information is not available at constituency level.
	Table 1 shows occasional teachers as a percentage of the full-time equivalent teachers in the maintained sector at January 2002 1 .
	
		Table 1
		
			  South Tyneside Tyne and Wear(2) England 
		
		
			 Regular teachers(3) 1,460 9,710 419,620 
			 Occasional teachers(4) 100 450 17,470 
			 All teachers 1,560 10,170 437,100 
			 Occasional teachers as percentage of all teachers 6.4 4.4 4.0 
		
	
	Table 2 shows occasional 4 teacher numbers in the maintained schools sector in January of each of the years shown.
	
		Table 2
		
			  South Tyneside Tyne and Wear(2) England 
		
		
			 1997 50 2290 13,610 
			 1998 30 330 13,150 
			 1999 60 360 14,120 
			 2000 60 400 16,660 
			 2001 70 500 19,590 
			 2002(1) 100 450 17,470 
		
	
	(1) January 2002 is the most recent information currently available.
	(2) Tyne and Wear includes Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland authorities.
	(3) All teachers (FTE) on contracts of a month or more in service on the survey date (17 January 2002).
	(4) Teachers on contracts of less than one month in service for the whole of the day on the survey date.
	Source:
	DfES annual 618G survey

Supply Teachers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the total number of teachers in (a) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Essex, (e) Cambridgeshire and (f) England supply teachers represent.

David Miliband: The information is not available at constituency level.
	The table shows occasional teachers as a percentage of the full-time equivalent teachers in the maintained sector in schools on the 17 January 2002 1 .
	
		
			  Suffolk Norfolk Essex Cambridgeshire England 
		
		
			 Regular teachers(6) 5,660 6,150 10,920 4,060 419,620 
			 Occasional teachers(7) 280 340 390 110 17,470 
			 All teachers 5,940 6,490 11,300 4,170 437,100 
			 Occasional teachers as percentage of all teachers 4.7 5.2 3.4 2.7 4.0 
		
	
	(5) January 2002 is the most recent information currently available.
	(6) All teachers (FTE) on contracts of a month or more in service on the survey date (17 January 2002).
	(7) Teachers on contracts of less than one month in service for the whole of the day on the survey date.
	Note:
	Teacher numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DfES annual 618G survey.

Standards Fund

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been provided through the Raising Standards Fund in each year since the fund began for each maintained school in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

David Miliband: The Standards Fund is paid to local education authorities and most is then devolved to schools. The amount of grant each school receives will depend on decisions made by the authority in consultation with its schools. The following table shows the Standards Fund grant for East Riding of Yorkshire since the Council became a local education authority in 19961997. The figures for 200304 are the grant allocated to date.
	
		Standards Fund Grant allowed to East Riding of Yorkshire -- 
		
			 Year Revenue Grant Capital Grant Total Grant 
		
		
			 199697 1,046,700 0 1,046,700 
			 199798 1,459,767 0 1,459,767 
			 199899 2,341,534 85,000 2,426,534 
			 19992000 4,217,082 1,297,275 5,514,357 
			 200001 6,824,041 4,151,200 10,975,241 
			 200102 8,555,372 6,423,442 14,978,814 
			 200203 8,685,748 9,083,498 17,769,246 
			 200304 5,872,779 10,846,811 16,719,590 
		
	
	The figures include Government grant only, they do not include local authority contributions to the Standards Fund.
	The recurrent figure for 200203 includes class size grant of 1.7 million. The funding for class size grant is now distributed via the Education Formula Spending Shares (EFSS). East Riding of Yorkshire received an increase in EFSS per pupil of 4.9 per cent. on alike for like basis.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Antiquities Trade

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the (a) United Nations, (b) the United States and (c) others regarding the effect on trade in antiquities of the lifting of sanctions on Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I and my officials, have had discussions with the US State Department, UNESCO, and others on the effect on trade in antiquities of the lifting of sanctions on Iraq. We support UNESCO's aim to ensure that restrictions remain on the import of Iraqi cultural property once UN sanctions are lifted and we are discussing this in the Security Council.

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of regional variations in staff turnover in her Department.

Kim Howells: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no Regional Offices and all staff are based in London.

Iraq

Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her Answer of 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 730W, on Iraq (Cultural Heritage), what progress has been made on implementing recommendation 6 of the Report of the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Illicit Trade; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The Government have been active in pursuing a permanent, single, widely accessible database of stolen and unlawfully removed cultural objects and is currently finalising an outline business case for this. Such a database is considered by the art trade and museums to be an important part of the package of measures designed to curb the illicit trade. We welcome the announcement made by UNESCO on 29 April that it intends to establish a database of items believed to have been stolen from Iraq and we will be working closely with them to ensure that this database is as comprehensive as possible.

KPMG

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts her Department has awarded to KPMG since 1997.

Kim Howells: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has awarded one contract to KPMG since 1997:
	
		
			 KPMG   
		
		
			 Advice on Risk Management Systems 1999 23,000 
		
	
	This answer includes the Royal Parks Agency.

National Lottery

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many organisations in the Birmingham, Erdington constituency have (a) applied for and (b) claimed awards from the Arts Council in each year since the National Lottery began.

Kim Howells: According to figures supplied to us by Arts Council England, the total funding awarded to arts organisations in the Birmingham, Erdington constituency since the inception of the National Lottery is 445,998 (26 projects) against a total of 1,214,734 applied for (35 projects).

National Lottery

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the spending per capita for National Lottery grants was in (a) Birmingham, Erdington, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, the Birmingham, Erdington constituency has been awarded 2.60 per Capita between 1 May 2002 and 30 April 2003. As we do not hold population details for all Counties or Regions we are unable to provide per Capita data for these areas. However, Birmingham has been awarded 29,770,542 in Lottery funding and the West Midlands 89,922,749 between 1 May 2002 and 30 April 2003.

Sponsorship

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which of her Department's projects have received sponsorship in the last financial year; who the sponsor was in each case; what the nature of each project was; what time-period was covered by each project; what the total cost of each project was; how much money was involved in each sponsorship deal; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Details of any individual amounts of sponsorship valued at more than 5,000 would be published in my Department's annual report, copies of which are made available in the Libraries of the House. There were no such instances during the last financial year.

Sport (Women)

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the development by Sport England of women's participation in (a) football, (b) rugby and (c) cricket;
	(2)  if she will make a statement in her policy on (a) increasing participation and (b) promoting excellence in (i) women's football, (ii) women's cricket and (iii) women's rugby.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Strategy Unit Report Game Plan sets out Government's determination to improve opportunities for women at all levels in sport, whether as participants, competitors, coaches, or administrators. Sport England have published sports development framework documents through its Active Sports programme for girls' football, cricket and rugby. Women's cricket will receive nearly 2 million from 1/4/03 to 31/3/04, and women's rugby 1,188,000 from 1/8/02 to 31/7/03 through the World Class programmes to support elite athletes. Elite female football players are supported through the FA.

Sport (Women)

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Football Association on developing a professional women's football league; and what support she is giving to developing the professionalisation of women's football.

Richard Caborn: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State have had discussions with the Football Association on the development of professional women's football.
	The development of the women's game is the responsibility of the FA. However, DCMS officials are working closely with the football authorities and other sporting organisations to raise the profile of the women's sport in this country.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the statutory instruments issued by her Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals.

Kim Howells: The Statutory Instruments issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport during the period 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003 and their respective purposes are set out in the table. Also included are Instruments which have been originated in this Department but eventually made by the Privy Council. The information sought under (b)(i), (ii) and (iii) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Serial number Formal title Purpose of Order 
		
		
			 2002/1062(8) The Regulatory Reform (Golden Jubilee) Order 2002 Order relaxed alcohol licensing hours between 11 pm on 3 June 2002 and 1 am on 4 June 2002 to allow the public to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee. It removed the need for businesses to apply for permission from the magistrates to extend the permitted licensing hours, which would have ended at 11 pm on that night 
			 2002/1130 The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) Amendment) Regulations 2002 Allows casinos to introduce three new games: The Big Six, Sic Bo and Three Card Poker; and alters some of the game rules in Roulette, Dice, Blackjack, and Casino Stud Poker 
			 2002/1398 The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment) Order 2002(9) Order adds Romania to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films 
			 2002/1407 The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2002 Amends a defect in the game rules for Three Card Poker introduced by SI 2002/1130 
			 2002/1410 The Lotteries (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order 2002 Increases the price of a ticket in societies lottery from 1 to 2, the maximum value of tickets or chances which may be sold in one such lottery from, 1,000,000 to 2,000,000, and the maximum value of tickets or chances sold in all such lotteries held in any one year and promoted on behalf of the same society or local authority from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 
			 2002/1754 The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) Order 2002 Under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 the Secretary of State may designate sports grounds with accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, and football grounds occupied by Football League or FA Premier League clubs with accommodation for more than 5,000 spectators, as requiring a safety certificate from a local authority. Safety certificates contain such terms and conditions as local authorities may consider necessary of expedient to secure reasonable safety at the ground. This Order designates the new Walker's Stadium occupied by a Premier League club, Leicester City FC 
			 2002/1755 The Football Spectators (Seating) Order 2002 Under the Football Spectators Act 1989, the Football Licensing Authority grants licences to allow spectators to be admitted to premises at which designated football matches are held, which include football matches played at the home ground of Football League and FA Premier League clubs. The Secretary of State may direct the FLA to include seating requirements in any licence. The Secretary of State's policy is that all football clubs in the top two divisions are required to have all-seater grounds. This Order therefore requires the FLA to include a condition in the licences in respect of the Burnley FC, Fulham FC, Leicester City FC and Reading FC's football grounds requiring that only seated accommodation shall be provided at designated matches at these grounds 
			 2002/1858 The Protection of Wrecks (Designation) Order 2002 Order designates as a restricted area the site where the eighteenth century wreck of the Bonhomme Richard is believed to lie, under section 1(1) of the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. Designation protects wreck sites of historic, archaeological or artistic importance by making it a criminal offence, in particular, for a person to tamper with, damage or remove part of the wreck or any objects formerly contained in the wreck or carrying out diving or salvage operations on the wreck unless a licence is obtained to do so from the Secretary of State 
			 2002/1901(8) The Gaming Clubs (Multiple Bingo) Amendment) Regulations 2002 Increases the number of games of multiple bingo that can be played on licensed bingo club premises in a 24 hour period from three to five 
			 2002/1902(8) The Gaming Clubs (Charges) Amendment) Regulations 2002 Increases the maximum admission charge to a bingo club from 10 to 20 and the maximum participation charge in a game of bingo from 5 to 10 
			 2002/1903 The Cinematography (Safety) Amendment) Regulations 2002 Regulations lower the minimum age for employment in certain roles within a cinema from 21 to 18. The roles concerned are the person responsible for the premises when the public are present, the person responsible for the electrical installations and equipment in the projection room and the person in charge of the projection room when inflammable film is being projected 
			 2002/1904(8) The Gaming Act (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order 2002 Increases the maximum weekly added prize money for bingo games in a club from 10,000 to 20,000; increases the aggregate weekly prize in linked bingo games played in any club from 55,000 to 500,000 and increases the total take and total prizes in prize bingo games from 1 20 to 500. 
			 2002/1909(8) The Gaming (Bingo) Act Variation of Monetary Limits) Order 2002 Provides that the maximum amount to be paid as a prize in respect of a game of multiple bingo to be 2,000,000 
			 2002/1910(8) The Gaming Clubs licensing) Amendment) Regulations 2002 Removes requirement that licensing authorities must impose a restriction on casino premises prohibiting the premises from being used for dancing, or live music or entertainment 
			 2002/1930 The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963 (Schedule 4)(Amendment) Order 2002 Removes the restrictions on the form of refreshments, other than alcohol, which may be sold in a licensed betting office 
			 2002/2427 The National Heritage (Territorial Waters Adjacent to England) Order 2002 Specifies the boundaries of UK territorial waters adjacent to England and is required as part of the National Heritage Act 2002 in order to define English Heritage's area of operation with regards to underwater archaeology 
			 2002/2635 The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment)(No.2) Order 2002(9) Order adds Greece to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films 
			 2002/2666 The Treasure (Designation) Order 2002 Extends the definition of Treasure under the 1996 Act to deposits of base metal objects (other than coins) of prehistoric date; and to objects of prehistoric date, any part of which is gold or silver 
			 2002/2893 The Safety of Sports Grounds (Designation) (No.2) Order 2002 Under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 the Secretary of State may designate sports grounds with accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, and football grounds occupied by Football League or FA Premier League clubs with accommodation for more than 5,000 spectators, as requiring a safety certificate from a local authority. Safety certificates contain such terms and conditions as local authorities consider necessary or expedient to secure reasonable safety at the ground. This Order designates Hull City FC's new ground, the Kingston Communications Stadium 
			 2002/3123 The Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variations) Order 2002 Order increased the rate per loan paid to authors from 2.67 pence to 4.21 pence for 200203 
			 2002/3124(8) The National Lottery (Licence Fees) Amendment) Order 2002 The 2001 Fees Order was amended to prescribe the fee payable on the grant of a licence under section 6 of the National Lottery Act, which authorises the promotion by the licensee of an unrestricted number of lotteries which fall within a description specified in the licence. It does not amend the fees payable on any other licences granted under sections 5 or 6 of the Act 
			 2002/3205(8) The Regulatory Reform (Special Occasions Licensing) Order 2002 Order relaxed alcohol licensing hours throughout the night on all future new year's eves. It removed the need for businesses to apply for permission from the magistrates to extend the permitted licensing hours, which would have ended at 10.30 pm or 11 pm on those nights 
			 2003/235 The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Increase of Endowment) Order 2003 Order permits the Secretary of State to increase NESTA's endowment by 95 million. This sum is to be drawn from resources held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund for meeting expenditure on or connected with health, education and the environment. 50 million of these additional funds will be used to restore NESTA's annual endowment income to 1012 million pa, and the remaining 45 million to fund new initiatives over the next three years 
			 2003/508(8) The Gaming Act (Variation of Fees) England and Wales) Order 2003 Increases gaming licence fees 
			 2003/509(8) The Gaming Act (Variation of Fees) England and Wales and Scotland) Order 2003 Increases gaming licence fees 
			 2003/663 The Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 Regulations brought into effect certain increases in television licence fees and extended the scope of premises which qualify as accommodation for residential care under the Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) Regulations 1997 
			 2003/664 The Awards for All (England) Joint Scheme (Authorisation) Order 2003 To vary the proportions attributable to each of the participating Lottery distributors in the Awards for All (England) joint scheme to reflect revised grant budget contributions from the participating distributors for the second year of the scheme 
			 2003/828 The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (Amendment) Order 2003(9) Order adds Georgia and Poland to the list of countries from which film producers would be eligible to co-produce cinema films with British film producers under the Council of Europe's European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production in order to obtain the fiscal benefits available in the UK for British films 
			 2003/829 The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2003 Provides for Government grants to the Churches Conservation Trust in the next three financial years up to a maximum of 9 million 
			 2003/839 The Public Lending Right (Increase of Limit) Order 2003 To allow the Government to increase the limit of the PLR Fund from 5.5 million to 14.252 million for 200304 financial year and 8 million for subsequent financial years 
		
	
	(8) Denotes that Regulatory Impact Assessments have also been prepared for each of the Statutory Instruments. These are available in the House Libraries.
	(9) Denotes Orders in Council.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq

William Cash: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the personal statement of 12 May 2003, Official Report, column 36 to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short), if he will publish the advice of the Attorney General on the question of the post-war situation in Iraq to which she referred.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr. Duncan Smith) at Prime Minister's questions on 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 310.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Appointments Commission

Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Council 
	(1)  how many times the House of Lords Appointments Commission has met in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what the annual cost is of running the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

John Reid: The House of Lords Appointments Commission has met twice in the past year.
	The estimated cost in the financial year 200203 was approximately 120,000.

Departmental Report

John Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what the cost was of the publication of the 2001 Departmental Report.

John Reid: The Privy Council Office 2001 Departmental Report was not published as a separate volume, but was included in the same volume as the Cabinet Office Departmental Report. No publishing costs were charged to the Department.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the President of the Council how many officials in his Department have received honours; and how many honours are held by his officials, broken down by category of honour.

John Reid: None.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Departmental Events

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate General if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Departmental Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Advocate General what progress has been made with the pay review in her Department, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if she will make a statement.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

SCOTLAND

Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department spent on advertising in Scotland in each year since 1999 on (a) television, (b) newspapers, (c) radio, (d) magazines, (e) billboards and (f) sporting events.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999.
	Since that date, expenditure on advertising and publicity has been as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			  
			  
			 19992000 26,861 
			 200001 270,494 
			 200102 186,564 
			 2002031 10,390 
		
	
	(10) Estimated
	Most of the expenditure related to electoral registration information. The breakdown of costs relating to television, newspapers, radio and magazines is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department did not use billboard advertising or advertising at sporting events.

Advertising

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns between April 2002 and March 2003; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media.

Helen Liddell: There has been no expenditure by my Department on advertising and promotional campaigns in 200203.

Age Discrimination

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps her Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination.

Helen Liddell: My Department has taken steps to integrate age into its equal opportunity policies and remains committed to ensuring there is no unfair discrimination on the basis of age. Action on diversity has and will continue to tackle any negative attitudes towards older staff particularly through the training and development of managers and through the monitoring of recruitment, selection and appraisal statistics. Staff over 60 can remain in employment on a year to year basis, subject to certain criteria.

Commemorative Plaques

Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what the average cost was of erecting a blue commemorative plaque in the last 12 months;
	(2)  who (a) sets the criteria of selection and (b) is responsible for the erection of blue commemorative plaques;
	(3)  how many blue commemorative plaques were erected in each of the last five years; and, for each year, what the cost was to public funds;
	(4)  what the policy and criteria are for the erection of blue plaques to commemorate distinguished citizens in their native localities.

Helen Liddell: This is a devolved matter. There is no national scheme for erecting blue commemorative plaques in Scotland.

Departmental Establishment

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will provide a breakdown by formal job description of the total establishment at the Scotland Office.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 24 March 2003
	My Department has 121 staff in post, of which 35 are in the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland.
	The job descriptions for staff in the Office of the Secretary of State cover the provision of advice to Ministers on the implementation and operation of the Scotland Act 1998 and a wide range of policy matters in reserved areas, under the broad headings of Economy, Industry, Home and Social Affairs and Parliamentary and Constitutional policy. A number of staff provide finance, personnel and administrative services across the Department as a whole.
	Staff in the Office of the Advocate General provide legal advice in relation to Scots Law; instructing United Kingdom legislation applying to Scotland, representing departments in litigation in the Scottish Courts and supporting the Advocate General in her role as a Law Officer and under the Scotland Act. They act in Scotland for most Whitehall Departments in any aspect of Scots Law within their particular responsibilities.

Departmental Events

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost.

Helen Liddell: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made with the pay review in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: An equal pay review covering staff of the Scotland Office is expected to be completed shortly.

Departmental Report

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the 2002 annual report of the Department will be published.

Helen Liddell: 16 May.

Departmental Report

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scotland Office Departmental Report will be published.

Helen Liddell: holding answer 20 March 2003
	I expect the Scotland Office Departmental Report to be published on 16 May.

Departmental Website

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the (a) cost of and (b) number of visitors to each website operated by her Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible in each year since its establishment.

Helen Liddell: The Scotland Office website is www.scottishsecretary.gov.uk, which was set up in 1999 by departmental staff. Operating costs for the site are estimated at 300 per year. The numbers of page impressions recorded for the site in each year are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 19992000 26,092 
			 200001 194,981 
			 200002 356,122 
			 200003 (11)454,482 
		
	
	(11) Figures to end February
	My Department is also responsible for the Friends of Scotland website (www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk), which was established in July 2002. The cost of developing the website was 95,804. Details of annual operating costs are not yet available but the network support and development costs to date are 12,435. The number of page impressions recorded between July 2002 and March 2003 was 479,242.
	The only non-departmental body for which my Department is responsible is the Boundary Commission. The Commission's website was established in June 2001 and came fully into operation in February 2002. Since that time the site has recorded approximately 10,000 page impressions. The cost of developing and maintaining the site was 5,125.

Employment Relations Act

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in her Department have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999.

Helen Liddell: The information is not held in the form requested and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Exhibitions

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list events at which her Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible have exhibited in each of the last three years, stating for each (a) the purpose of exhibiting, (b) the cost of exhibiting and (c) the number of staff attending for the exhibition.

Helen Liddell: My Department has not exhibited at any events.

NHS Treatment Delays

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and the Scottish Parliament concerning a definition for an unreasonable period of delay for treatment within the NHS, as phrased in the European Court of Justice ruling on treatment of patients abroad for patients from Wales.

Anne McGuire: Treatment on the national health service is a devolved matter in Scotland, for the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Health and the other UK health departments with regard to EU and other international health matters.

Parliament Elections

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will introduce legislation to allow voters whose principal residence is in England but who own property and businesses in Scotland to vote in elections to the Scottish Parliament.

Helen Liddell: Section 11 of the Scotland Act 1998 provides that persons entitled to vote as electors at an election for membership of the Scottish Parliament are those who on the date of the poll would be entitled to vote as electors at a local government election and are registered in the register of local government electors. I have no plans to change this.

Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the (a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which her Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies are responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: My Department has no responsibility for any public sector pension schemes.

Public Service Agreement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (a) how many and (b) what grades of officials are responsible for the monitoring of progress towards the public service agreement targets of her Department.

Helen Liddell: My Department has no public service agreements.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Council Tax

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax is per dwelling this year in (a) England and (b) Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Christopher Leslie: The average area council tax per dwelling in England in 200304 is 908.
	The average area council tax per dwelling in Newark and Sherwood in 200304 is 1,009.

Departmental Annual Report

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the 2002 annual report of his Department will be published.

Christopher Leslie: Departmental Annual Reports for 2003, covering the financial year 200203, are due to be published by 16 May 2003. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to meet this deadline.

Fire Brigades Union

Linda Perham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has held with the Women's Action Committee of the Fire Brigades Union about family-friendly modernisation of working hours.

Nick Raynsford: None. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shortly be publishing a white paper setting out our proposals for the future of the Fire Service, and will include measures to make the service more attractive to groups who are currently seriously under represented in the workforce, including women who currently account for 1.7 per cent. of firefighter posts.

Fire Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many false alarms per 100,000 population there were in each fire authority in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many deaths from accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 head of population there were in each fire authority area in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many accidental fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings there were in each fire authority area in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many injuries from accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 population there were in each fire authority in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Raynsford: The requested information is available in the Library of the House.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many officials in his Department have received honours; and how many honours are held by his officials, broken down by category of honour.

Christopher Leslie: Due to the recent machinery of government changes, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested centrally and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he plans to take in the next two years to tackle the housing shortage in Luton.

Tony McNulty: As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister made clear when he launched the Sustainable Communities: building for the future(SCP), some 22 billion is being invested, across England over the next three years. The East of England will share in the 4.7 billion being provided for housing investment in the three South-Eastern regions over the next three years. The recently established Regional Housing Board (RHB) will have a pivotal role in ensuring that the priorities set out in the forthcoming Regional Housing Strategy (RHS) are addressed and are adequately funded through the single housing pot.
	Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) for the South East calls for an additional 2,430 new homes per year in Luton and Bedfordshire. Luton and Bedfordshire, also fall into one of the four Growth Areas identified in that RPG, which have in total, been earmarked for an additional 200,000 new homes by 2016. The area will benefit from a share of 164 million allocated in the SCP to expedite delivery of housing. All this will help ease the strain on the housing market and enable more people in Luton to have the opportunity to own their own home, and will promote regeneration in the town, higher standards in design and efficient use of land.
	Luton has a number of affordable housing schemes already underway, in partnership with the Housing Corporation and Registered Social Landlords, to increase the amount of affordable housing. The development of the former Electrolux site will provide over 50 dwellings of affordable accommodation, the redevelopment of disused elderly homes to create sheltered accommodation for the frail and needy will also provide over 50 homes with care facilities. Other schemes are also in progress increasing the amount of affordable accommodation and other tenures in Luton.
	Luton's issues, as detailed in the Luton Factors 20022003 document, are being addressed by a number of Government led incentives, designed to alleviate the housing situation that this country finds itself in. The emergence of RPG 14, the RHS and the developing sub-regional strategies, will enable the Government Office for the East of England to work together with regional and local partners to put policies into practice and deliver the housing so desperately needed.

Local Authority Cabinets

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities have appointed assistants to Cabinet members and given the assistants additional responsibility allowances.

Christopher Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information from councils on the number of councillors serving as assistants to members of local authority executives, or the allowance levels paid to council members.
	Local authorities may also appoint political assistants, who are employees of the council. There may be no more than three political assistants in a Local Authority. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information from councils on these appointments, or on how they are remunerated.

Local Education Authorities

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received concerning the allocation of funds to local education authorities.

Nick Raynsford: Since the announcement of the local government finance settlement on 5 February, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received 24 letters from MPs or local authorities that are wholly or mainly concerned with education funding.

Local Government Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether high performing local authorities granted new freedom and autonomy by the Government and who bid successfully for ring fenced, specific grants are able to spend them on what they wish.

Nick Raynsford: As part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's commitment to give greater freedom to high performing authorities, it has unfenced the following revenue ring-fenced specific grants for excellent authorities, for which authorities bid.
	Rural Bus Challenge Fund
	Waste Recycling Challenge Fund
	Playing for Success
	There are no conditions attached to the use of these grants. In addition, Parliamentary approval will be sought shortly to pay the part of the Training Support Programme grant which is bid for unfenced.
	On capital, Contaminated Land Grant, Air Quality Grant, Local Government Online and Local PSA bid based grants have been unfenced for all authorities. All other capital expenditure is unfenced for excellent and good authorities, including bid-based grants except for:
	Personal Social Services (Children Services Grant) which runs for two years only Flood defence and coastal protection and the following grants which are paid in respect of expenditure previously incurred:
	Secure accommodation.
	Flood defence and coastal protection.

Remote Controlled Aircraft

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what regulations are in place to control the (a) size, (b) speed and (c) height of remote controlled planes and other leisure aircraft flown in public areas.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	All aircraft, including remote controlled planes and leisure aircraft are subject to regulation by the Air Navigation Order 2000.
	Size is determined by weight and regulated by Article 129. This defines any unmanned aircraft, other than a balloon or kite, weighing not more than 20 kg without its fuel, as a 'small aircraft'. The speed of small aircraft is not specifically regulated but they are subject to Article 64 which states that a person shall not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Article 87 limits recreational model aircraft to a maximum height of 400 ft above the surface.
	Remote controlled model aircraft weighing more than 20 kg are only permitted to operate in accordance with an exemption issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. They are subject to Article 23(1) of the Rules of the Air 1996 which limits an aircraft flying below 10,000 ft to 250 knots.

Rent Service

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will allow the Rent Service to publish local reference rent determinations on its website.

Tony McNulty: In keeping with its aims of openness and transparency, The Rent Service plans to publish statistical data about the private rented sector housing market in England, on its website. This includes a range of information about local reference rents for different parts of the country.

TREASURY

Child Poverty

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which elements of his strategy for relieving child poverty contain measures to increase family incomes.

Dawn Primarolo: As outlined in the December 2001 paper 'Tackling child poverty: giving every child the best possible start in life', the Government's strategy to tackle child poverty includes:
	helping to ensure a decent family income, with work for those who can and support for those who can't;
	delivering excellent public services for all neighbourhoods and targeted interventions for those with additional needs;
	support for parents so that parents can provide better support for their children; and
	harnessing the power and expertise of the voluntary and community sectors, providing support for innovation and good practice.
	The main measures the Government have taken to increase family incomes to relieve child poverty include:
	The introduction of the new Child and Working Tax Credits from April this year, to tackle child poverty and make work pay, ensuring that those who need the most help receive the greatest support. Nine out of 10 families with children are expected to benefit, those with incomes of up to 50,000 will receive at least 545 a year. From April 2004, the child element of the Child Tax Credit will be uprated at least in line with earnings rather than prices for the rest of the Parliament;
	The child care element available through the Working Tax Credit, which has been extended from April 2003 to include approved child care in parent's own home, provides additional support for families for whom the cost of child care is a barrier to work parents can receive up to 70 per cent. of eligible child care costs up to 135 a week for one child, up to 200 for two;
	Increases in the rates of Child Benefitthis April rates were increased in line with prices from 15.75 to 16.05 a week for the first child in every family, and from 10.55 to 10.75 a week for subsequent children. The rate for the first child is now 25 per cent. higher in real terms than it was in 1997;
	Increases in the children's allowances in Income Support and other income related benefits, with rates for children under 11 rising by 80 per cent. in real terms since 1997;
	The introduction of the National Minimum Wage in 1999. By October this year, lowest paid workers will have seen an increase in their wages of 25 per cent. since 1999.
	Active Labour Market Programmes, such as the New Deal for lone parents, which provides help with training, education and child care, to help lone-parents into work. The employment rate of lone-parents has increased to 54 per cent. year compared to 46 per cent. in 1997.

Construction Industry

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 409W, on the construction industry, what estimates he has made since May 1997 of the loss of tax revenue as a result of tax evasion in the construction industry.

Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to provide reliable estimates about the amount of tax that might be lost through tax evasion in the construction industry.

Discounts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) of 18 March 2003, Official Report, columns 67476W, what the take-up assumption for the discounts and offsetting benefits to council tax were; and if he will publish an equivalent table for council tax as a percentage of income by decile for the over 60s.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr Jim Cousins, dated 15 May 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the proportion of income that over 60s pay in council tax within each income decile. I am replying in his absence. (113059)
	Estimates given in the answer of 18 March 2003, Official Report, columns 67476W, to Mr Matthew Taylor MP, are based on the analysis The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 200001 which was produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and published on the ONS website on April 19th 2002 and in Economic Trends in the May 2002 edition. Since this reply was given, results for 200102 have been published on the ONS website on April 11th 2003 and in Economic Trends in May 2003. The analyses include measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole and can be obtained from the House of Commons Library.
	The analysis for 200001 is based on data from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) and for 200102 the Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS) which was introduced from 200102 to replace the FES and the National Food Survey. Sample sizes for the over 60s are only sufficient to allow a break down to be given by quintiles of income distribution and not by decile.
	Households for the over 60s have been defined as those where the Household Reference Person is aged 60 or over. The Household Reference Person is identified during the interview and is defined as the member of the household who:
	a. owns the household accommodation, or
	b. is legally responsible for the rent of the accommodation, or
	c. has the household accommodation as an emolument or perquisite, or
	d. has the household accommodation by virtue of some relationship to the owner who is not a member of the household.
	If there are joint householders, the Household Reference Person will be the householder with the highest income. If the income is the same, then the eldest householder is taken
	The attached table gives the estimated gross and net council tax for the over 60s as a percentage of gross income for 200001 and 200102 in each income quintile where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. As council tax does not exist in Northern Ireland, the figures shown relate to Great Britain only. The net council tax figures are gross council tax less benefits and discounts.
	The analysis does not make assumptions about the take-up of council tax benefit, but collects actual data on benefit received. Council tax benefit is available to low income households to help them meet their local tax liability. The FES and EPS collect data on the amount of council tax benefit received by households who take up their entitlement. Where a household reports taking up their council tax benefit entitlement, this has been deducted from the council tax liability to produce the net figures.
	
		Council tax as a percentage of gross income for the over 60s(12)Great Britain
		
			   Quintile groups of all households ranked by equivalised disposable income All households 
		
		
			 Quintile points(13) ( per year) 200001  8,726  10,969  14,100  19,844   
			  200102  9,445  11,900  15,079  20,300   
			 Gross council tax (% of gross income) 200101 9.8  6.6  5.3  4.0  2.6 4.3 
			  200102 9.4  6.6  5.3  4.2  2.4 4.3 
			 Net council tax(14) (% of gross income) 200001 6.7  4.7  4.2  3.4  2.4 3.5 
			  200102 7.0  4.6  4.1  3.7  2.3 3.6 
		
	
	(12) Household reference person aged 60 or over
	(13) Equivalised disposable income at the boundary between two quintile groups
	(14) Net council taxes after deducting discountsSource:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends No. 582 May 2002 and No. 594 May 2003.

Efficiency Savings

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the target is for efficiency savings in 200304 expressed (a) in money terms and (b) as a percentage of the Department's expenditure limit.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury's targets are set out in its Public Service Agreement and Service Delivery Agreement.

Employers Insurance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to use the increased tax revenues resulting from higher insurance premiums to set up a fund to cover employers against remote risks.

Ruth Kelly: None.

Euro

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on manufacturing in (a) Wales and (b) the United Kingdom if the UK does not become part of the Eurozone.

Ruth Kelly: The Government is committed to publishing a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the five tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. A number of detailed supporting studies will be published alongside the assessment. As set out in the 6 September 2002 'Paper for the Treasury Select Committee on the Treasury's Approach to the Preliminary and Technical Work', a supporting study will be published on The impact of EMU on business in different manufacturing and service sectors of the UK economy.

European Central Bank

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is towards the proposed changes in the (a) voting and (b) decision making procedures of the European Central Bank. May

Ruth Kelly: The Government are keen that any changes to the ECB's voting modalities secure an effective decision-making body in the ECB.
	Given the provisions of the enabling clause inserted into the ESCB Statute under the Treaty of Nice and the requirement for unanimity in both the Governing Council and the Council, the Government believe that the proposed changes represent a feasible option for achieving this at the current stage.

Financial Advisers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the number of financial advisers who are operating without professional indemnity insurance.

Ruth Kelly: The FSA tell me that, as at 6 May 2003, 1,741 out of 2,674 (65 per cent.) of IFAs (whose PII expired between 1 September 2002 and 30 April 2003) have told the FSA that they have obtained cover.
	An analysis of the information they provided shows that 94 per cent. of IFAs due to renew their cover in September have done so. The figure for October is 96 per cent., November 87 per cent., December 75 per cent., January 62 per cent., February 63 per cent., March 34 per cent., and April 13 per cent.
	This does not necessarily mean that the other IFAs have not got cover. IFAs are reluctant to confirm that they have cover until they have received a cover note even though they may have agreed terms with their broker. This means that there is usually a gap between the expiry of an IFA's PII policy and the receipt of confirmation that the policy has been renewed, by the FSA. The FSA are contacting the remaining firms to establish their position.

Consumer Prices

Adrian Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact on the measurement of inflation of moving from the RPIX method to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices method in (a) each of the last five years and (b) the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: RPIX and HICP inflation data are published monthly by the ONS in their First Release on consumer price indices. Projections for RPIX and HICP inflation to 2005 were presented in Box B7 of the 2003 Budget report.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what measures have been taken by his Department to increase creditor participation in debt alleviation for heavily indebted poor countries;
	(2)  whether creditor participation has been added to the status of implementation reports for heavily indebted poor countries;
	(3)  what progress has been made by the Government in restricting vulture funds and other debt brokers purchasing the debts of heavily indebted poor countries;
	(4)  that plans the Government has for reform of the laws governing litigation against heavily indebted poor countries;
	(5)  what progress has been made by G8 governments on compiling a report of creditor participation for heavily indebted poor countries;
	(6)  if he will convene a conference to persuade creditors of the value of participating in debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries;
	(7)  what progress has been made by the World Bank to provide reports on legal action brought against heavily indebted poor countries by creditors not participating in the HIPC initiative;
	(8)  what progress has been made by the World Bank to provide technical assistance to heavily indebted poor countries involved in litigation with creditors not participating in the HIPC initiative;

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals the Government has made since the Kananaskis G8 summit (a) to provide more relief than envisaged at completion point for HIPCs that have debts above the thresholds as a result of commodity price shocks within the HIPC rules and (b) to press for a change in the rules to ensure that additional relief provided beyond HIPC by some bilateral donors is excluded from the calculations; what response the Government has received from other G8 members to its proposals; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: At the G7 Kananaskis summit in 2002 the UK was instrumental in securing agreement that action was necessary to increase creditor participation in the HIPC initiative.
	The G7 agreed to ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to:
	include, in HIPCs' Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility reviews and Completion Point documents, more detailed information on the respective countries' success in obtaining comparable treatment; post comprehensive information on creditor participation on the Bank and Fund Web sites, including creditors' explanations for non-participation;
	continue to work with regional and small multilateral development institutions to encourage and facilitate their participation in the Initiative;
	and noting the importance of commercial creditor participation, to prepare a comprehensive report on legal action brought against HIPCs by non-participating creditors, including by commercial creditors, and on options for HIPCs to obtain technical assistance to facilitate resolution of disputes;
	continue to encourage bilateral creditors not to sell their claims on HIPCs in the secondary debt market;
	to include participation in the HIPC Initiative in reporting under Article IV as well as other Fund and Bank documents.
	As far as non-Paris Club official bilateral creditors are concerned, the G7 asked the IMF and World Bank to encourage creditors who are members of the two organisations to participate fully in the HIPC Initiative, particularly relatively wealthy creditors that have a significant amount of claims. In addition, the G7 urged the IMF to identify creditor countries' participation in the Initiative ahead of any debt rescheduling with the Paris Club.
	The G7 also agreed to ask the Chair of the Paris Club to consider inviting, on a case-by-case basis, non-member official creditors to participate in its negotiations with HIPC countries on the understanding that these creditors will join a satisfactory consensus and will abide by Paris Club principles.
	The September 2002 HIPC Status of Implementation Report, prepared jointly by the staffs of the Fund and the World Bank, reported via a survey of HIPC countries on pending and completed creditor litigation. It also reported more generally on the status of creditor participation. At the Spring meetings of the World Bank and the IMF the Development Committee welcomed the recent paper by the Bank and the Fund that reviewed the difficult issues of creditor participation, including HIPC-to-HIPC debt relief and creditor litigation and welcomed the decision by the Bank to explore options to assist with HIPC-to-HIPC debt. The Development Committee agreed to discuss these issues again at the next meeting, and reiterated its request to creditors that had not yet done so to participate fully in the initiative. For its part the UK in a statement to the Development Committee by the Secretary of State for International Development and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urged the Bank and Fund to explore further the issue of a 'donor funded' technical assistance facility to provide advice to HIPC countries facing litigation. The UK will pursue this issue and other outstanding HIPC issues such as the topping-up methodology at the forthcoming G8 summit in Evian and the next annual meetings of the Bank and Fund in September.
	The September 2002 HIPC Status of Implementation Report and the paper on creditor participation issues in the enhanced HIPC initiative are available from the World Bank webslte at www.worldbank.org/hipc.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the World Bank and the IMF have made in developing a HIPC-to-HIPC trust fund.

John Healey: At the Spring meetings of the World Bank and the IMF the Development Committee welcomed the recent paper by the Bank and the Fund that reviewed the difficult issues of creditor participation, including HIPC-to-HIPC debt relief and creditor litigation and welcomed the decision by the Bank to explore options to assist with HIPC-to-HIPC debt. Where HIPCs find it difficult to deliver full HIPC relief due to financial constraints, one option would be a donor-financed trust fund to resolve these claims. The UK believes it is worth exploring this option further and will continue to work with the Bank and Fund to examine it in more detail.

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress there has been on organising an international conference on innovative mechanisms for providing debt relief, as advocated by the HIPC ministerial network.

John Healey: The Chancellor has proposed an International Finance Facility (IFF) that would seek to double the amount of development aid from just over US$50 billion a year today to $100 billion per year in the years to 2015. The IFF could also be used to help fund further debt relief for existing debts, which for some poor and indebted countries is a valuable instrument to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
	At their eighth meeting in Kigali, Rwanda on 2829 April 2003 36 HIPC Finance Ministers endorsed the UK proposal for an International Finance Facility, and urged that its funding should be fully additional and channelled to grants. The UK is promoting the IFF through a range of international fora and the communiqu from the April 2003 G7 Finance Ministers' meeting agreed they would continue to focus on the Millennium Development goals and their financing, including facilities, with a view to progress by the Evian Summit.

Income Tax

Anne Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much revenue would have been raised in the financial year 200203 by a 50 per cent. rate of tax on taxable income over 100,000 pa.

Dawn Primarolo: The additional full-year yield of a 50 per cent. rate of tax on taxable income over 100,000 in 200203 is 4.2 billion. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and is consistent with the April 2003 Budget.
	This estimate excludes any behavioural response to the tax change.

Income Tax

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in residential care homes in England and Wales pay income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: I regret the requested information is not available.

Income Tax

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money the Inland Revenue holds from overpayment of income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The amount of money held at any one time for income tax overpayments is not accurately identifiable. This is because several systems cover different groups of taxpayers and an overpayment may not arise until an Income Tax liability has been established. How overpayments and potential repayments are identified and dealt with will depend on the group of taxpayers being considered. For example different procedures apply for employees and for Self Assessment taxpayers.

Income Tax

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who overpaid income tax in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Inflation

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average levels of inflation of (a) public and (b) private sector costs have been in each year since 1997 on (i) goods, (ii) services and (iii) labour.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Howard Flight, dated 15 May 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on levels of inflation of public and private sector costs on goods, services and labour. (112740)
	Data that exactly match those requested in the question are not available. The attached table shows the nearest available figures.
	
		Inflation Measures 19972002 -- Change on previous year (per cent)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Household Consumption Expenditure Deflator (Total) 2.2 2.9 1.5 0.8 0.9 0.7 
			 Household Consumption Expenditure Deflator (Services) 1.4 0.8 -0.7 -1.6 -1.8 -1.9 
			 Household Consumption Expenditure Deflator (Goods) 4.2 5.4 4.1 3.7 4.0 4.1 
			
			 Government Consumption Expenditure Deflator 1.6 2.2 4.4 4.6 5.1 5.1 
			
			 Gross Fixed Capital Formation Deflator -0.2 -0.4 1.2 1.7 2.4 3.4 
			   
			 Average Earnings Index (Public sector) 2.2 3.3 4.1 3.8 5.0 4.0 
			 Average Earnings Index (Private sector) 4.7 5.6 5.0 4.7 4.3 3.5 
			
			 Retail Prices Index (Goods) 2.2 1.6 0.9 0.3 0.3 -0.5 
			 Retail Prices Index (Services) 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.8 4.6 
		
	
	The household consumption deflator measures the change in prices of all goods and services purchased by households regardless of whether they are purchased from public or private sectors.
	The government consumption deflator measures the change in prices of goods and services produced by government.
	As with all deflators, this may not fully reflect the change in quality of the services produced.
	The gross fixed capital formation deflator measures the price of capital goods. There is no separate deflator for public and private sector purchases.
	The average earnings index covers earnings but not include other components of labour costs.
	The Retail Prices Index is the main domestic measure of inflation in the United Kingdom. It measures the average change in the prices of goods and services purchased by most households in the UK.

Low Pay

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to increase the take-home pay of those in low paid work.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government introduced the first ever National Minimum Wage in April 1999 and has recently announced that, from October 2003, the National Minimum Wage will increase from 4.20 to 4.50. Subject to an assessment of the future economic situation, it will increase again to 4.85 in October 2004. At least 1.3 million workers stand to benefit from the 2003 increase, and 1.7 million from the 2004 increase. Since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in 1999, low paid workers will have seen their wages increase by 25 per cent. by October 2003.
	The Government have reduced taxes for lower-paid workers. As a consequence of the introduction of the 10p rate of income tax in 1999, and the subsequent to the basic rate down to 22p in 2000, 3 million low paid workers now pay lower taxes. The reforms to the National Insurance Contributions have removed the unfair entry fee and have raised the point at which employees start paying NICs from 66 in 1999 to 89 per week now, while leaving their entitlement to contributory benefits protected.
	In 1999 the Government introduced the Working Families Tax Credit, which reached nearly 1.4 million families with children, helping around 550,000 more families than the old Family Credit at its peak. Building on this success, from April 2003 the Working Tax Credit improves support for workers on low and moderate earnings and for the first time extends support to single people and couples without children, provided they are aged 25 or over and they work at least 30 hours per week. Alongside the Working Tax Credit, the Government have introduced the Child Tax Credit, that supports families with children and it is paid in and out of work. The Child Tax Credit is expected to benefit 5.75 million families, and will channel 13 billion in support to families, most of them on low and moderate incomes.
	As a consequence of the reforms illustrated above, from October 2003 a family with one child and one adult working 35 hours per week at the National Minimum Wage will be guaranteed an income of 241 per week, while a couple without children and one adult working 35 hours a week will take home at least 187 per week. These figures compare with 182 in April 1999 for a family with one child and 117 for a childless couple. Before the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, no minimum income from work could be guaranteed.

Manx Government

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what issues his Department has discussed with the Manx Government since the beginning of 2002.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 11 February 2002, Official Report, columns 10405W.

National Insurance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women pay reduced rate Class I National Insurance Contributions; what estimate he has made of their level of earnings; and what their percentage increase in national insurance contributions was in April.

Dawn Primarolo: An estimated 50,000 women will pay the reduced rate of Class 1 National Insurance Contributions in 200304 and their estimated average earnings is 290 per week. These estimates have been provided by the Government Actuary Department and are consistent with Budget 2003.
	The married women's reduced rate was increased by 1 percentage point in April this year.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of SARS on (a) the economy in Asia and (b) the world economy.

Paul Boateng: Paragraph B13 of chapter B of the April 2003 Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 500) discussed the potential consequences of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The government continues to monitor the situation closely

Stability and Growth Pact

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of recent reforms to the Stability and Growth Pact.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to publishing a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the five tests within two years of the start of this Parliament. A number of detailed supporting studies will be published alongside the assessment. As set out in the 6 September 2002 'Paper for the Treasury Select Committee on the Treasury's Approach to the Preliminary and Technical Work', a supporting study will be published on The robustness of the arrangements for macroeconomic stabilityincluding the Stability and Growth Pactand their contribution to overall economic performance.
	We continue to discuss with our EU colleagues our support for a prudent interpretation of the SGP, which takes into account the economic cycle, sustainability and the important role of public investment.

Tax Credits

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to make an assessment of the performance of the working tax credit and child tax credit helpline; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 May 2003, Official Report, column 791W.

Tax Credits

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advertising and publicity has been devoted to the Inland Revenue's helpline for the new tax credit system; and at what cost.

Dawn Primarolo: The new tax creditsWorking Tax Credit and Child Tax Creditwere introduced in April. A high-profile publicity campaign has been running since last autumn to alert people to their entitlement and to encourage them to claim. The campaign has so far included national television advertising, national and local radio advertising, adverts in the national press as well as on-line publicity.
	All of the publicity material including the claim form, award notices and letters from the Revenue, have included details of either the Tax Credit Helpline or the advertising response line as appropriate but there has been no specific advertising of the lines separately from the overall tax credit publicity campaign

Tax Credits

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the average time has been since the introduction of working tax credits from application to first payment in (a) Angus constituency and (b) Scotland;
	(2)  how many persons in (a) Angus constituency and (b) Scotland have applied for working tax credit;
	(3)  what the average time has been for dealing with applications for working tax credit in (a) Angus constituency and (b) Scotland.

Dawn Primarolo: No figures on Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit are yet available for Angus or Scotland. For the time taken to process applications, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 161W. Statistics on awards of these tax credits will be published in August.

Tax Credits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people applied for the new tax credits in Northern Ireland by 1 April; and what the average time taken to process applications was.

Dawn Primarolo: For the United Kingdom as a whole, 3.9 million applications for Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit were received by 9 April. The number received from applicants in Northern Ireland is not available; statistics on awards of these tax credits will be published in August.
	For the time taken to process applications, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr Hughes) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 161W.

Tax Credits

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of an increase in the amount of tax credit received by an individual on their (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Awards of new tax credits count as income in the assessment of HB and Council Tax Benefit awards. For each additional 1 of income earned through work or tax credits, entitlement to HB and CTB is withdrawn at a rate of 85 pence.
	For 200304, the allowances in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit have been increased in line with the maximum amount for each element of the Child Tax Credit. As a result no family on Child Tax Credit will lose out through a reduced Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit award.
	In addition Budget 2003 announced that from 200405 Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will disregard the first 11.90 of weekly earnings rather than the current disregard of the premium in Working Tax Credit paid to those working 30 hours or more per week. This will improve gains to work for tenants with children or a disability, working between 16 and 30 hours per week.

Tax Credits

Si�n Simon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Birmingham, Erdington have taken up the Child Tax Credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Statistics on the number of Child and Working Tax Credit awards will be published quarterly, beginning in August 2003. The first set of statistics will cover awards at early July 2003.

Tax Credits

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Working Tax Credit Helpline;
	(2)  how many telephone lines are dedicated to dealing with queries from the general public who telephone the Working Tax Credit Helpline; what monitoring is conducted on the time taken to respond to messages left in the helpline; what the average response time for messages is; and what representations he has received about response times.

Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement I made to the House on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 53 and to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham, Dr. Cable on 8 May 2003, Official Report, column 791W.
	At present there are around 4,800 telephone lines servicing the Tax Credit Helpline in Great Britain. The helpline does not offer facilities for leaving recorded messages.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State for International Development what plans the G8 has to publish progress reports on the implementation of its G8 Africa Action Plan (a) after the Evian Summit and (b) in future years; and how it intends to maintain the commitment of G8 countries to the Africa Action Plan over the longer term.

Hilary Benn: The G8 Africa Personal Representatives will be presenting a progress report to G8 heads at the Evian Summit. Additionally the UK, USA, Japan, France, Canada and Germany will be publishing reports detailing bilateral progress. These will be added to the APR report as appendices. The Evian Summit represents a milestone in the achievement of objectives set out in the G8 Africa Action Plan but it is not a final deadline. Progress will continue after Evian. G8 Heads will consider at Evian how to continue high level political engagement with African governments; and discussions are ongoing regarding the potential for focus on Africa under the UK Presidency in 2005.

Millennium Development Goals

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK Government in consultation with other donor countries will be doing to achieve the 2005 Millennium Development Goals on gender parity and access to primary and secondary education.

Hilary Benn: The 2005 Millennium Development Goal on gender parity and access to primary and secondary education is a key priority of DFID. We believe that achieving the MDGs requires learning lesson from past efforts, encouraging and supporting governments in developing countries to implement sound policies, and in providing countries with the necessary resources.
	The Government are committed to collaborating with a variety of partners to accelerate progress on girls' education. Like most donor countries, gender is now mainstreamed into all our development work. We are working with the UN Girls' Education Initiative to ensure stronger collaboration and co-ordination among donors at the global and the national level. And we are working with the World bank and UNICEF to develop sustainable strategies for girls' education in several countries.

Millennium Development Goals

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Millennium Development Goals on universal primary education gender parity in access to primary and secondary education will be a priority for governments at the G8 summit.

Hilary Benn: The main output of the 2002 G8 meeting in Kananaskis was the G8 Africa Action Plan. In response to this we announced an increase in bilateral spending to Africa from around 650 million a year then, to 1 billion by 2006. The provision of adequate and appropriate support to countries with credible plans to achieve UPE was integral to the Action Plan. Education is not likely to feature so prominently in this year's meeting. Nevertheless, the international community remains committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goals on universal primary education and gender parity in access to primary and secondary education. The Fast Track Initiative illustrates this commitment and could improve donor harmonisation in the education sector.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate her Department has made of the total cost of the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: A preliminary Reconstruction Needs Assessment was carried out in late 2001/early 2002 by UNDP, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. This estimated that US$18 billion was required over 10 years to reconstruct Afghanistan. This assessment was carried out quickly in order to provide a basis for pledges at the Tokyo Ministerial meeting in January 2002.
	Since then more detailed needs assessments have been carried out in several sectors, including agriculture, education, transport and environment. The Afghan Transitional Administration now estimates that they require US$15 billion over the next five years to reconstruct the country.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the security situation upon the distribution of food in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: Food aid continues to reach those who need it in most areas of Afghanistan. Some UNHCR field operations have been suspended due to the security situation on the border with Pakistan, and the situation remains fluid in the north of the country, with WFP unable to access a district in Balkh province due to inter-factional fighting. The security situation and restrictions on operations are reviewed regularly, however.
	Approximately 5.8 million people will receive food aid in 2003 through a partnership between the Afghan Transitional Administration and WFP. WFP is also working in partnership with UNHCR to provide food aid to returning refugees and those who remain in refugee camps.
	The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has improved over the last year, with the drought easing due to increased rainfall and an 80 per cent. increase in crop yield over the previous year.

Aid (Developing Countries)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of aid is being provided to uprooted people in developing countries; and to what extent the Government has acted upon the agreements made at the Montevideo Convention in 2001.

Hilary Benn: People may be displaced from or forced to leave their homes and livelihoods for many different reasons. It is not possible to provide information on the level of assistance related to such a wide range of circumstances without incurring disproportionate cost.

Argentina

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources her Department has allocated in response to the severe flooding in northern Argentina.

Hilary Benn: Our assessment of the situation in Santa Fe Province is that while the flooding is serious, the national structures in place are proving sufficient in providing appropriate assistance. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

China

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid is being made available to the People's Republic of China in regard to the SARS outbreak.

Hilary Benn: We will provide around 3.25 million as part of a co-ordinated donor response to help Chinese efforts to deal with SARS. DFID funding is likely to focus in the short term on: support to the Ministry of Health for immediate medical requirements via a World Bank Trust Fund; and strengthening the World Health Organisation in China. In the longer term, it will be important to address health systems and governance issues, particularly as they relate to access to services for the poorest.

Coffee

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had regarding support programmes for coffee farmers facing poverty following the collapse of coffee prices; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Last November (2002), my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short) attended the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) at which proposals for addressing the coffee crisis was discussed by EU Ministers.
	We remain concerned about the plight of those whose livelihoods have been, and continue to be, affected by the depressed producer prices that have prevailed in the coffee market over the last few years. Commodity dependence is a complex problem and there is no simple solution.
	DFID are providing support to many countries affected by a decline in coffee prices we attempt wherever possible to help poor people recover from falling incomes and help commodity dependent countries diversify.

Coffee

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial resources her Department has allocated to helping coffee producers gain organic certification for their coffee; and to which countries.

Hilary Benn: There can be no automatic presumption that organic certification will deliver improved livelihoods for poor coffee producers. It is important that careful consideration is given to ensuring that any additional premium generated from the production and sale of organic produce justifies any additional costs that may be incurred, including associated certification costs. In 2000, DFID financed a study to examine the opportunities and constraints for resource poor farmers in organic production and trade. DFID is supporting a coffee certification feasibility analysis in Uganda.

Coffee

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial resources her Department has allocated to enable small coffee producers in developing countries to diversify into alternative livelihoods, and to which countries.

Hilary Benn: UK development assistance is provided on a bilateral basis to a significant number of coffee producing countries including Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. UK bilateral assistance to these six countries in 200102 amounted to 200 million. Additional financial resources are also provided through multilateral channels including the European Commission's external aid programme and the Common Fund for Commodities.UK support to poverty reduction strategies, and other national strategic planning processes, provides an important contribution to livelihood diversification.

Coffee

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial resources her Department has allocated to enable coffee farmers to form co-operatives; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: UK development assistance is provided to a significant number of coffee producing countries.
	The decision to establish a co-operative, or indeed any other organised grouping must be voluntary and based on a shared commitment. Activities must be bound by agreed rules including those relating to the behaviour and conduct of members and accountability. The lessons from past experience, particularly of the state-led drive to establish co-operatives in Africa in the 70s, highlight the difficulties that can arise when decisions to form a co-operative are imposed by external agents. UK development assistance lends support to a range of institutional arrangements as deemed appropriate.

Commonwealth Development Corporation

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of total investments by the Commonwealth Development Corporation were in the agricultural sector in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: The percentages of total investments held in the agricultural sector by CDC Group plc (known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation until 1999) in each of the last five years were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1998 23 
			 1999 23 
			 2000 20 
			 2001 10.2 
			 2002 11.3

Departmental Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answer of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 44W, on departmental pay, if she will list the areas requiring further analysis to which her answer referred.

Hilary Benn: The main areas requiring further analysis are a full assessment of the impact of length of service in grade, and a more detailed survey of overtime arrangements. We expect to complete both exercises by the autumn of 2003. Other areas for further analysis in the medium term include the impact of qualifications, experience, overseas postings, career breaks, and secondments on rates of pay by gender, ethnicity and disability. We are currently introducing an electronic database which will greatly help with this further analysis. We hope to undertake it in early 2004 but the timetable is subject to employees providing the data and consenting to our access to it.

Education for All Fast Track Initiative

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources her Department has allocated to expand the Education for All Fast Track Initiative to enable all low-income countries with sound education plans to receive full donor support.

Hilary Benn: Our approach to the Fast Track Initiative is to ensure that it focuses on encouraging Governments with large numbers of children out of schools to develop credible education plans that will enable them to achieve the aim of universal primary education. We have successfully pressed for the inclusion of those countries with the most children out of schoollike India (with 30 million children out of school), Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A working group of which DFID is a member has been established to take this forward. In countries where we are engaged, we will consider increasing our support in the context of their PRSP and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. We will continue to engage with the Fast Track Initiative at all levels but do not envisage diverting existing anticipated commitments in order to support specific Fast Track Initiative proposals.

Education for All Fast Track Initiative

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the UK Government will follow up on commitments made at the IMF and World bank spring meetings on the Education for all Fast Track Initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The continuing progress that is being made on the Fast Track Initiative was welcomed at the IMF and World bank spring meetings. Our approach to the Fast Track Initiative is to shape it to focus on encouraging governments with large numbers of children out of schools put the policies and plans in place that will enable them to achieve the aim of universal primary education. We have successfully pressed for the inclusion of those countries with the most children out of schoollike India (with 30 million children out of school), Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A working group of which my Department is a member has been established to take this forward. The key challenge for the working group would be to encourage the countries concerned to commit themselves to making progress and to provide the necessary support and technical resources to develop costed credible education plans within the context of an overall PRSP.

Ethiopia

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources her Department has allocated in response to the appeal made by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health for medical assistance on 16 December 2002.

Hilary Benn: In December 2002 the Ethiopian Ministry of Health requested $21 million to address drought related health problems. Since then the UK has provided 5.12 million for health and nutrition related humanitarian activities through international NGOs and UN agencies, and contributed a further 18.38 million in emergency food aid.

Ethiopia

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been sent to help those suffering from drought in Ethiopia.

Hilary Benn: The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia remains a matter of concern.
	DFID has made available some 37.6 million for humanitarian support since the beginning of 2002. This has included 17 million for food-aid through the UN World Food Programme for Ethiopia since the end of December. In addition DFID also contributes about 19 per cent. of EC assistance.
	We will continue to closely monitor the situation in Ethiopia, and we remain fully committed as always to playing our part in responding rapidly to urgent humanitarian need.

Delivery

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State for International Development whether the OECD Development Assistance Committee has produced practical guidance on how to (a) reduce the costs for recipients of aid and (b) promote their ownership of it; whether an action plan to implement this has been issued; whether other G7 members have responded to the DAC guidance; and how these statements will be monitored.

Hilary Benn: The OECD Development Assistance Committee has published a reference document entitled Harmonising Donor Practices for Effective Aid Delivery. This includes a set of good practice papers intended to change donors' operational procedures in order to reduce the costs of aid to partner countries. The Department for International Development published in February 2003 an Action plan to promote harmonisation setting out what DFID will do to improve the effectiveness of its development assistance in line with the good practices set out in the DAC document. An assessment of performance against this Plan will be produced by the second quarter of 2004. To date Canada, France, Japan and the US have produced statements of action on harmonisation, other countries are expected to do so. Progress on implementing the good practice papers will be reviewed at the DAC Senior Level Meeting at the end of 2004.

HIV/AIDS (Africa)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of assistance is being given by the Government to education projects regarding AIDS and HIV in Africa.

Hilary Benn: HIV/AIDS is one of the most important development challenges facing Africa. DFID is working with development partners to ensure that HIV is mainstreamed throughout education systems, plans and interventions in all African countries where we are providing education support.
	We are also making progress by piloting targeted school-based HIV prevention programmesthe Nigeria Extended Life Planning Education Project is one such initiative.
	DFID is also supporting innovative edutainment programmes in Southern Africa, using multiple media such as radio drama, pamphlets and cartoon books to communicate about HIV prevention.
	It should be noted that most of our HIV/AIDS investments across all sectors have an education component to them. As our HIV/AIDS response becomes increasingly multi-sectoral and integrated into other development activities, it is increasingly difficult to quantify the level of investment in the education component per se. Furthermore, DFID is supporting a number of African countries through direct budget support for their own pro-poor policy priorities across the board. This again makes it difficult to quantify the exact level of assistance directed to HIV/AIDS activities. In addition, we provide support through our contributions to multilateral organisations.
	That said, HIV/AIDS is recognised by DFID as one of the most significant development challenges facing Africa and it will remain one of the highest priorities for the Africa region as DFID's bilateral programme in Africa increases from 640 million to 1 billion by 200506.

India

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact on health services in India of the recruitment by NHS hospitals of nurses from India; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The international movement of health personnel has the potential to undermine the human resource base of many developing country health systems. DFID has worked closely with the Department of Health to develop guidelines to ensure that nurses and other personnel are only recruited from countries where there is a surplus. Mutually beneficial arrangements are also encouraged so that aspects of human resource management can be strengthened in return.
	Given the size of India there is a scarcity of precise information concerning human resources. We know that in some states there is a surplus of staff. We also know that there have been private companies recruiting nurses in India for the global market and that the Government of India has been interested in a more formal bilateral arrangement to manage this process.
	DFID have proposed to the Department of Health and the Government of India that reliable data should be collected concerning the place of origin for personnel that are recruited, as well as information concerning their current practice.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that Iraqi women and Iraqi womens' organisations are included in all stages of preparation for the Iraqi interim authority and for the preparation of the new Iraqi constitution;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with Unifem regarding the involvement of Iraqi women in preparations for the Iraqi interim authority.

Hilary Benn: DFIDwithin the influence available to uswill strive to ensure women are included in all aspects of reconstruction in Iraq. We must help Iraqi women to ensure that women's rights are a central part of Iraq's post-war agenda. We are discussing these issues with our partners, including UNIFEM.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial help her Department is proposing to give to Iraq for health and education services with special reference to young people; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has committed 115 million to support work by humanitarian agencies in the current crisis. This includes 32m to the International Red Cross / Red Crescent movement, 9 million to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and 6 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) which will assist their work to improve health and education facilities for the whole Iraqi population, including vulnerable groups such as children and young people. DFID has also funded NGOs working in the health sector including Merlin, International Medical Corps, Save the Children UK and GOAL.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many schools are open in Iraq; who is responsible for the running of them; and what discussions her Department is having with this authority.

Hilary Benn: The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs (ORHA) are working with the Iraqi Ministry of Education to get schools back up and running throughout Iraq as soon as possible. DFID is not engaged in detailed discussions but is monitoring the situation closely.
	The UN Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq (UNOCHI) reports that schools have resumed operating in the north, and are beginning to resume in central and southern Iraq. UNICEF report that primary schools in Baghdad resumed on May 4, though fuel shortages and security concerns have kept many students and teachers away. Secondary schools in Baghdad began to reopen on May 10 and universities are scheduled to open on May 17.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the level of disease among the population of (a) southern Iraq and (b) Basra.

Hilary Benn: The World Health Organisation (WHO) is monitoring the level of disease in southern Iraq, including the reported outbreak of cholera in Basra, It is difficult to establish an accurate picture of disease trends in these areas, as a pre-existing Iraqi disease surveillance system is no longer functioning. The reactivation of this system is a priority for the WHO. DFID is monitoring the situation closely and has stationed limited stocks of medical supplies in the region to fill any emergency requirements that might arise.

Iraq

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to adjust levels of overseas aid contributions following the war in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: We have no plans to adjust the level of overseas aid contributions following the war in Iraq. Funds from existing DFID programmes will not be diverted to fund our assistance to Iraq or redirected from other emergencies such as Southern Africa, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether training sessions have been established for food agents in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Many existing Iraqi food agents want to resume work and have been reporting to public distribution centres. It is unlikely that these agents will require further training to fulfil their previous responsibilities;

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what efforts are being taken to increase the use of domestically produced food in the rations provided by the Oil for Food Programme; and whether her Department has specific targets for the increased use of domestic produce in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Discussions are currently under way between the World Food Programme (WFP), the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs (ORHA) and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade to see how locally produced food can be integrated into food distribution activities in Iraq. WFP are already procuring some foodstuffs from the region.
	We have not set any specific targets for the increased use of domestic produce in Iraq. DFID has been actively engaged in promoting the development of the agricultural sector and has provided 1.5 million to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to support agricultural and poultry production in conflict-affected areas of southern Iraq.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessments she has made of the agricultural sector in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: DFID maintains close contact with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) who are monitoring developments in the agricultural sector in Iraq. Current estimates indicate that the May to June harvest will produce 850,000 to 1,000,000 metric tonnes of wheat. In September to October FAO estimates local production of 100,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice and 80,000 metric tonnes of maize.
	DFID has provided 1.5 million to the FAO to support agricultural and poultry production in conflict-affected areas of southern Iraq.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources her Department has allocated for clearing unexploded cluster munitions in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: DFID has committed 4 million to the UN Mine Action service (UNMAS) and 80,883 to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). 9 million has been committed to UNICEF, part of which is for mines education.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what impact the allocation of resources to Iraq is having on decisions by her Department on whether to accept external bid s for project funding in other countries.

Hilary Benn: Funds from existing DFID programmes will not be diverted to fund our assistance to Iraq or redirected from other emergencies such as Southern Africa, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the increase in cases of gastroenteritis among children in Iraq; and what resources are in place to respond to this.

Hilary Benn: The World Health Organisation (WHO) is monitoring the level of disease in Iraq, including gastroenteritis. It is difficult to establish an accurate picture of disease trends, as a pre-existing Iraqi disease surveillance system is no longer functioning. The reactivation of this system is a priority for the WHO. UNICEF has delivered oral rehydration salts, including an extra 200,000 sachets which are being pre-positioned in the region to deal with diarrhoeal disease outbreaks. WHO's latest assessment is that there is not an overall shortage of medical supplies in Iraq, though there are shortages of drugs for a few specific conditions. DFID is monitoring the situation closely and has stationed limited stocks of medical supplies in the region to fill any emergency requirements that might arise.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to (a) support local markets and (b) encourage local purchase of goods in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Hilary Benn: With DFID support, discussions are currently under way between the World Food Programme (WFP), the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs (ORHA) and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade to see how locally produced food can be integrated into food distribution activities in Iraq.
	DFID's longer-term reconstruction priorities will be to reduce Iraqi's dependence on emergency assistance as quickly as possible and create transparent economic, governance and legislative structures which support broad-based economic development.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of how long food stocks will last in (a) Northern Iraq and (b) Central and Southern Iraq.

Hilary Benn: World Food Programme (WFP) reports indicate that the amount of food distributed by the Oil for Food Programme (OFF) prior to the start of the conflict varies by region. WFP is currently in discussion with Iraq's Ministry of Trade and OFF Public Distribution System officials to ascertain the levels of food pre-positioned at local level. WFP estimates that existing family food stocks could begin running out soon.
	The WFP has pipeline stocks for May and June, although there are shortages of some other commodities. On 24 April 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend provisions of resolution 1,472 from 12 May until 3 June 2003. This enables the UN to process those existing orders under the Oil for Food (OFF) programme which can be dispatched to Iraq by 3 June. Outside of OFF, WFP are also procuring some foodstuffs from the region. They are aiming to build up supplies similar to those previously supplied by the Oil for Food Programme (480,000 tonnes of food per month) as soon as possible. Meanwhile, food continues to be distributed through the OFF Public Distribution System wherever possible.

Iraq

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what medical assistance is being given to hospitals in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been active in Iraq throughout the conflict supplying hospitals with water, power and medical supplies. ICRC has also been helping-replace missing equipment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is co-ordinating the sectoral response. Its latest assessment is that there is not an overall shortage of medical supplies in Iraq, though there are shortages of drugs for a few specific conditions.
	Since the start of the current crisis DFID has supported the following agencies to provide assistance to the Iraqi health sector.
	International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement: 32 million;
	UNICEF: 9 million (2 million for contingency planning and preparedness measures, 7 million as part of the UN flash appeal);
	WHO: 6 million (1 million for contingency planning and preparedness measures,
	5 million as part of the UN flash appeal); and
	NGOs including Merlin, International Medical Corps, Save the Children, UK and GOAL.

Iraq

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department plans to give to combat (a) diarrhoea, (b) gastro-enteritis and (c) dehydration among young children in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The World Health Organisation (WHO), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and others are monitoring the health situation in Iraq closely. WHO's latest assessment is that there is not an overall shortage of medical supplies in Iraq, though there are shortages of drugs for a few specific conditions.
	Since the start of the current crisis DFID has supported the following agencies to provide assistance to the Iraqi health sector.
	International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement 32 million,
	UNICEF 9 million (2 million for contingency planning and preparedness measures, 7 million as part of the UN Flash appeal),
	WHO 6 million (1million for contingency planning and preparedness measures,
	5 million as part of the UN Flash appeal)
	NGOs including Merlin, International Medical Corps, Save the Children UK and GOAL.

Iraq

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department intends to give to combat cholera in southern Iraq; and what assessment she has made of the scale of the cholera outbreak in southern Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed 18 cases of cholera in Basra. No deaths have yet been reported. A cholera task force has been established in Basra consisting of the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation, the UN Children's Fund and NGOs. DFID has cholera kits sufficient to treat 11,000 people on standby in Kuwait in case any are needed and is monitoring the situation closely.

Malaria

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to make anti-malaria drugs available (a) cheaply and (b) in sufficient quantities to African countries seriously affected by the disease.

Hilary Benn: The World Health Organization recognises for diseases prevalent in poor countriesincluding AIDS, TB and Malariafour key factors that can improve access to medicines: affordable pricing, sustainable financing, reliable health and supply systems, and the rational selection of drugs.
	Availability of affordable medicines was one of a number of issues my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short) looked into when she chaired a recent High Level Working Group on increasing Access to Essential Medicines in the developing world. DFID is firmly committed to increasing access to medicines for the poorest, in line with the WHO strategy. For example, we have committed over 1.5 billion since 1997 to support the strengthening of health systems, which will build capacity to deliver medicines to the poor and to make effective choices about the selection of drugs.
	DFID is currently working with a number of key stakeholders, including the Pharmaceutical industry, for an integrated approach to increasing access to medicines for the poor, including tackling affordability. This will focus on the major diseases of the poor including Malaria.
	The UK has committed over $200 million over five years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for the procurement of drugs and commodities and some associated strengthening of health systems. We have already disbursed $80 million to the fund.
	The UK is strongly committed to tackling Malaria, recognising its importance not just in terms of burden of disease, but also in terms of the impact Malaria has on economic development, particularly in Africa where this has been an increasing problem. The UK Government are committed to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goal to halt, and begin to reverse the incidence of Malaria by 2015. At the 1998 G8 summit in Birmingham the UK Government pledged 60 million to support action on Malaria, and financial commitments since then have far exceeded this figure. To date the UK has provided in excess of 110 million to support Malaria control globally and at country-level. This includes a contribution to basic Malaria support through the Medical Research Council (MRC) and support to the Malaria Consortium resource centre. We are supporting the development of new drugs appropriate for developing countries through partnerships such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture and programmes that help find new low-cost Malaria treatments, for example Lapdap.

Malawi

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the amounts of financial aid given to Malawi over the last 12 months; and when they were given.

Hilary Benn: During the financial year 200203, DFID spent a total of 51.7 million in development assistance to Malawi. Of this 19.3 was financial aid, which was administered directly by the Government of Malawi. Financial aid was disbursed regularly throughout the year in a number of key areas, notably in the education and health sectors where funds were used to build education and medical facilities as well as supplying drugs.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

Hilary Benn: Given the very small numbers of staff who retired on mental health grounds the identity of individuals may become obvious should this question be answered.
	Exemption 12 (Privacy of an individual) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, therefore, applies.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many sick days were lost in the last year by her Department through staff mental health problems;
	(2)  how many of her staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year.

Hilary Benn: This information is not centrally recorded and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	DFID is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to meeting the target in our Public Service Agreement.

Philippines

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid and assistance she has provided to the government of the Philippines in the last three years.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not provided direct bilateral aid to the Philippines since 1996, although 184,000 is provided through our Small Grants Scheme (SGS). This is administered by the British Embassy in Manila and is intended for small scale interventions. Indirect support is provided through our contributions to the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, EC and UN development agencies.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the potential consequences of an outbreak of SARS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development has not made any specific assessment of the potential consequences of an outbreak of SARS in Sub-Saharan Africa. We look to the World Health Organization to provide a technical lead on this issue.

South Africa

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes she supports which aim to prevent South African children becoming infected with HIV through the use of dirty needles.

Hilary Benn: In November 2002, the findings of a study commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation (with funding from DFID) reported higher than expected rates of HIV infection among children in South Africa. The causes are still being investigated, but there is no concrete evidence linking the higher infection rates to the use of dirty needles.
	DFID has recently approved a new 30m programme to help South Africa tackle HIV/AIDS. This includes further support for the Nelson Mandela Foundation to enable a repeat of the 2002 study to be undertaken.

Sri Lanka

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many scholarships have been awarded to Sri Lankan students to study in the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: Figures for students undertaking scholarships funded by the Government of the United Kingdom with time spent in the United Kingdom in 200203 are as follows:
	Primary English Language Project: 15 students funded to undertake short-term teacher training and English language courses under the Regent Language Centre, London.
	Primary Mathematics Unit: 20 students undertaking courses which have three month attachments in the UK incorporated into the course framework; 15 MEd Students under the University of Sussex and five studying under the University of the West of England.
	Chevening Scholarships: Three fully funded, two part funded and two joint funded students.
	Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows: 10 Commonwealth fellowships and nine Commonwealth scholarships covering PhDs, MScs, MPhils and research studies.

Sri Lanka

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of students in Sri Lanka go on to university (a) in Sri Lanka and (b) abroad.

Hilary Benn: Approximately 23 per cent. of the age cohort attend higher education institutes in Sri Lanka. In 200203 218,000 students sat A-levels of which 11,514 were selected for entry into tertiary education institutions issues.
	DFID is not able to obtain details of the total number of students from Sri Lanka going on to university in the UK. However, details of students financed by DFID are provided in my answer to your parliamentary question ref. 112173.

Sri Lanka

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid was given to the education sector in Sri Lanka for (a) primary education, (b) secondary education, (c) higher education and (d) vocational training in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: Available statistics on Sri Lanka by education sector code, from 199899, are as follows:
	
		Figures in 000
		
			  Education policy Education facilities Advance technical Primary Totals 
		
		
			 199899 204 33 301 1,181 1,719 
			 19992000 169 30 -43 1,410 1,567 
			 200001 223 50 0 1,259 1,532 
			 200102 137 83 0 1,334 1,555 
			 200203(15) (15)166 (15)154 (15)0 (15)938 (15)1,258 
		
	
	(15) figures for 200203 provisional

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she is having with the Sudanese Government regarding sector wide approaches to (a) health and (b) education in that country.

Hilary Benn: DFID's programme in Sudan since 1991 has been focussed on responding to humanitarian needs. DFID has not engaged in substantive discussion with the Government of Sudan on longer-term development issues and would not do so in the absence of a peace agreement.
	When there is peace, the key next step in planning for reconstruction of the education and health sectors will be the preparation of a comprehensive development plan. UNICEF and other agencies have already carried out considerable work on data collection and analysis, particularly in the south. The priority will be to build local capacity.

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made in providing education to the children of Southern Sudan.

Hilary Benn: We have contributed US$2 million to UNICEF for schools rehabilitation throughout Sudan. Basic materials (1,500 school kits, 1,000 textbooks and 500 headteacher kits) will be distributed to every primary school in southern Sudan over the next three months in time for the start of the next school year. The textbooks will be prepared at low cost locally using the recently developed curriculum.
	We are also working closely with the World bank on the preparation of the Country Status Report over the next few months to ensure that the particular needs of the south are fully reflected in the future development plans for the sector.

Turkey

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Government of Turkey regarding the recent earthquake in Southern Turkey.

Hilary Benn: DFID's Emergency Response Team was activated within 2 hours of the earthquake and was on standby to assist the Turkish Government should it have been deemed necessary. The Turkish authorities were notified of our willingness to help. In the event the Turkish authorities did not request international assistance.
	While the earthquake caused considerable damage to infrastructure in Bingol, sufficient assistance has been provided locally to meet the immediate needs of those affected.

Waste Treatment

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to encourage the treatment of domestic and village waste in the most impoverished countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID is advocating an integrated approach to environmental health to improve health and combat poverty. The challenge today is to build upon models of best practice to expand service delivery in solid waste management, sanitation coverage, access to clean water and hygiene education.
	DFID adopted the target of reducing by half the proportion of people without access to hygienic sanitation facilities by 2015 in the Target Strategy Paper 'Addressing the Water Crisis', produced in March 2001. We worked hard to win international agreement to this target at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and will continue to emphasise sustainable and pro-poor sanitation and hygiene programmes.
	Through our commitment to multi-lateral initiatives and bi-lateral agreements we are prioritising support to national governments and civil society organisations to accelerate work in environmental health in the countries of greatest need. In particular, we currently support comprehensive solid waste management programmes in a number of countries including Egypt, West Bank/Gaza, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Caribbean.
	DFID also funds Resource Centres dedicated to enhancing communication, knowledge transfer and co-operation between DFID, its developing country partners and other organisations in the fields of environmental health, water supply and sanitation. We continue to push for the inclusion of sanitation, water supply and hygiene into individual country Poverty Reduction Strategies Papers (PRSPs). Through the Knowledge and Research (KaR) programme, DFID is funding research projects that investigate the cost effective approaches of providing basic services for all, and ensuring the poorest are served, be that through a transparent and efficient public sector, or innovative private sector partnerships.

CABINET OFFICE

Market Research

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what expenditure has been incurred by his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if he will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each.

Douglas Alexander: The following tables show expenditure incurred by the Cabinet Office and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in the 200203 financial year on (1) opinion polling (2) focus groups (3) other forms of market research; with list of the survey commissioned and purpose of each.
	
		Government car and despatch agency
		
			 Opinion poll Purpose Estimated cost ()(16) 
		
		
			 Customer Satisfaction Survey A customer satisfaction survey conducted by NOP to meet one of their published Key Performance Targets 18,000 
			 Total  18,000 
		
	
	
		Government Information and Communication Service
		
			 Focus group Purpose Estimated cost ()(16) 
		
		
			 Phillis review into government communications Focus group with members of the public to provide up to date knowledge of the public's views on sources of information and how they prefer to receive such information. 57,000 
			 Total  57,000 
		
	
	
		Office of Public Services Reform
		
			 Market research Purpose Estimated cost ()(16) 
		
		
			 Police Service Users Satisfaction Survey To ensure that our work with the Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on developing standards of customer service for the police are informed by a full understanding of the public's attitudes and expectations. 37,000 
			 Attitudes to Public Services Inspections To inform our review of external inspection by investigation how effective inspectorates are at assuring the public and informing Service users. 13,000 
			 Total  50,000 
		
	
	
		Office of the e-Envoy e-Government
		
			 Market research Purpose Estimated cost ()(16) 
		
		
			 Office for National Statistics (ONS) Omnibus Survey The objectives are to ask additional questions relevant to e-Envoy programme, above and beyond the core questions that ONS ask on internet take-up and use, i.e. specific use of e-government etc. 11,000 
			 Total  11,000 
		
	
	(16) Excluding VAT

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Alice Coy/Nick Durie

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation of Alice Coy and Nick Durie who are being held by the Israeli authorities near Eretz.

Mike O'Brien: Alice Coy and Nick Durie, both activists of the International Solidarity Movement, were detained at the crossing of the Gaza Strip on 8 May. They were released and subsequently deported by the Israeli authorities. We understand that they left Israel on 13 May.
	Our travel advice advises against travel to Gaza. We have updated our travel advice in the light of Alice Coy's and Nick Durie's experience.

Antarctica

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects agreement to be reached with the Antarctic Treaty nations on the future of the secretariat; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The establishment of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat will next be discussed by Treaty Parties, including the UK, at the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Madrid, 920 June. Progress was made on a suite of texts relating to the Secretariat at a recent informal meeting in Buenos Aires amongst Treaty Parties. It is hoped that these texts, to be presented in Madrid, may form the basis of agreement on the Secretariat.

Arms Exports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries Ministers in his Department conducted arms promotion activities in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers regularly conduct overseas visits in the course of which they promote British exports, including those of defence equipment.
	For 2002, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers carried out such promotion activities in Chile, Czech Republic, India, Singapore, Slovakia and Tanzania; and in 2003 to date, in India and Singapore.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 10 April 2003 concerning a constituent.

Bill Rammell: I am sorry that my hon. Friend had not received a substantive reply to his letter of 10 April 2003. UK visas sent an interim reply on 12 May 2003 whilst awaiting further information from our overseas post. A substantive reply was sent by fax on 13 May 2003.

Departmental Pay

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, columns 36970W, on departmental pay, if he will place a copy of his action plan in the Library.

Jack Straw: Once the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has concluded its discussion with the Cabinet Office on the Equal Pay Audit action plan, we will place a copy in the Library.

Departmental Report

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of the publication of the 2001 Departmental Report.

Jack Straw: Production of the 2001 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Departmental Report cost 24,314. This covered design, photography, proofreading and indexing expenses, as well as the cost of copies supplied to the FCO by The Stationery Office Limited (TSO). Other costs of printing and publication are met by TSO, and do not fall to government. The figure does not include staff time which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of regional variations in staff turnover in his Department.

Mike O'Brien: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in the United Kingdom are based in the South East of England so there is no requirement for assessment of regional variations.

ICMB 2003 Programme

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the set of criteria established for the Information and Communication 2003 Multi-beneficiary Programme, as referred to in the minute of the 97th Meeting of the Phare Management Committee (7 February 2003); which organisations received funding under this process; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Phare 2003 Information and Communication Programme has not begun spending as yet. It is not due to begin until the end of the current funding, which will expire between August and December 2003. As stated in the minutes of the 97th meeting of the Phare Management Committee the allocation for each country will be given to the respective EC Delegations in two segments. The first of these is to cover running costs and ensure continuity of the programme. The second will be allocated to each country on the basis of the following criteria; the referenda in each country, the state of public opinion in the country concerned (the main parameter used will be the Eurobarometer survey), the quality of the work programmes submitted by the EC Delegations and the administrative capacity of the delegation.
	The relevant EC Delegation administers the sums allocated to each country. Some of the work carried out by the delegation, such as the publication of brochures, may have been subcontracted to local organisations and/or businesses. No data is centrally available on this.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterparts concerning safeguards to monitor the performance of the Bechtel Group in their new contract to re-establish water and electricity services in Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: The US has awarded contracts for companies such as the Bechtel Group in line with US policy and practice. Performance against the contract is a matter for the US.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the scale of looting in schools in southern Iraq.

Mike O'Brien: UK forces are in contact with the Basra local education authority. The majority of schools in the UK area of operations have reopened. The military have helped refurbish four schools and provided materials to over 100 others.

Iraq

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the contents and (b) the value of the contents of (i) Iraqi Government documents and (ii) Ba'ath party documents discovered by Coalition forces in Iraq, with particular reference to links between the regime of Saddam Hussein and (A) al-Qaeda and (B) other terrorist organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is the practice of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters. The Security and Intelligence agencies are not within the scope of the code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Iraq

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to obtain (a) intelligence and (b) military and other Iraqi Government and Ba'ath party documents in (i) abandoned offices, (ii) palaces and (iii) private property for examination by Coalition partners; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Americans in Baghdad and the British in Basra are seeking to obtain available information and documents. It is the practice of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters and I will not comment further.

Iraq

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements there are for the Coalition partners to make available to each other on a reciprocal basis copies of military and Ba'ath party documents; and according to what timetable.

Mike O'Brien: We routinely share such information with Coalition partners.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his statement of 12th May 2003 on Iraq, how and when invitations will be issued for the national conference; and what steps are being taken to ensure an equal participation of Iraqi women in the conference.

Mike O'Brien: At the Central Iraq Meeting of 28 April 2003, it was agreed to arrange a national conference to establish an Iraqi Interim Authority (IIA). A number of leading Iraqis are being consulted on creating a broad spectrum of Iraqi opinion at the conference. There is a Steering Committee which may issue the invitations to the national conference as soon as is practicable. The UK Special Representative for Iraq, John Sawers, is working with the US and the Iraqi representatives to facilitate this process and has raised with all parties the issue of women's participation.

Kashmir

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the killings at (a) Nadimarg, Kashmir on 23 March 2003 and (b) Chatisisingpurol in March 2000; and what representations he has made to the Governments of (i) India and (ii) Pakistan.

Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 294W.

North Korea

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made from information published by the Government of North Korea of whether the DPRK possesses nuclear weapons; and if he will place in the Library copies of primary source material.

Mike O'Brien: It is difficult to make an accurate assessment based on information from the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Much of their published information is ambiguous and, in some cases, contradictory. Our assessment of DPRK's nuclear weapons programme is drawn from the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency in the early 1990s and from intelligence reporting.

Peace Activists

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli authorities on the subject of their treatment of peace activists.

Mike O'Brien: Officials at our embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have taken up individual cases with the Israeli authorities and will do all they properly can to help British nationals in difficulty in the region.
	On 11 April, I spoke to the Israeli ambassador to raise our concerns about the case of Thomas Hurndall, a British peace activist shot in Gaza on 11 April. On 8 May, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Silvan Shalom, the Israeli Foreign Minister, about the shooting of Thomas Hurndall (and also of James Miller, a British cameraman). We both called for a full and transparent investigation into the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) shooting to be carried out by the Israeli Military Police. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv also raised our concerns locally with the Israeli authorities. The Israeli Government took note of our concerns and promised to cooperate.

Philippines

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on the level of bombing in the Philippines.

Mike O'Brien: Our Ambassador in the Philippines has regular discussions with a range of contacts, including Philippine government representatives, about the continuing terrorist threat in the Philippines and how best to address it. The British Government has been providing training to help the Philippines authorities deal with the terrorist threat.
	When they met President Arroyo in January 2002 and December 2001 respectively, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter, the then FCO Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ben Bradshaw), both commended the Philippines government's efforts to tackle its domestic terrorist threat and its support for the international campaign against terrorism. I also raised these issues with the Philippines' Foreign Minister Guingona when we met in June 2002. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no opportunity to discuss terrorism with members of the Philippines' government.

UN Firearms Protocol

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK has ratified the UN Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition; and which other states have ratified the Protocol.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Jenny Tonge) on 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 297W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Mrs. Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate (a) the additional cost and (b) the number of beneficiaries of reforming attendance allowance by (i) reducing the amount of time a person has to be ill to receive the benefit of three months, (ii) introducing a lower rate care component, (iii) introducing a lower and higher rate mobility component and (iv) abolishing attendance allowance and removing the upper age limit on claiming disability living allowance; and if he will set out the take-up assumptions used in making these estimates.

Maria Eagle: Estimates are not available in the form requested. However, if the qualifying period for Attendance Allowance, during which a severely disabled person must meet the main qualifying conditions (ie must require, or be likely to require either frequent attention from another person in connection with their bodily functions or continual supervision or watching over to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others) was reduced from 6 months to 3 months, the annual extra spend on the benefit would be about 50 million 1 at current benefit rates and some 320,000 successful claimants a year would be affected 2 .
	Up-to-date estimates are not available. However, information from the 1996/97 Disability Survey suggested that with a take-up rate of 50 per cent, the annual cost of extending entitlement to the mobility component and to the lowest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance to people who claim after the age of 65 would be in the region of 3.1 billion 3 at current benefit rates. Some 1.35 million people would gain a mobility component and about 0.3 million people would gain the lowest rate care component.
	1 Costs are rounded to the nearest 10 million.
	2 Caseloads based on data taken from Attendance Allowance administrative records, and projected forward to 2003/04 by PBR forecast changes in new claims.
	3 Costs are rounded to the nearest 100 million and are subject to a significant margin of error reflecting underlying uncertainties of modelling entitlement from available survey data. Costs include effects on income related benefits.

Pension Plans

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of working-age (a) adults, (b) men and (c) women in the (i) North West of England and (ii) the UK are members of a pension plan.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Percentage of working age adults contributing to a private pension in the north-west and Merseyside and Great Britain (200102)
		
			  North-west and Merseyside Great Britain 
		
		
			 Adults 32 33 
			 Men 37 40 
			 Women 27 27 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	2. Family Resources Survey only covers Great Britain. Therefore figures for the UK are not available.
	3. Figures relate to the north-west and Merseyside Government office regions.
	4. Working age is defined as 16-State Pension Age (65 for men and 60 for women).
	5. Numbers contributing to a private pension include all those contributing to an occupational, personal pension or stakeholder pension.
	Source:
	200102 Family Resources Survey.

Special Advisers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the salary bill was for special advisers in his Department in 200203; and what it is expected to be in 200304.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right. hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 24 April 2003, Official Report, column 45W.

HEALTH

Age Discrimination

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide specific funding for the implementation of the Government's commitment to end ageism in the NHS.

Jacqui Smith: Implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for older people, including the standard to root out age discrimination, is supported by the substantial additional investment that has been provided for the national health service since the NSF's publication in 2001. In 200102 and 200203, the NHS received average annual increases of 6.3 per cent. above inflation. Cash allocations to primary care trusts in the three years from 200304 will provide an average increase over the three years of 30.83 per cent.
	Since publication of the NSF, significant progress has been made in tackling age discrimination. NHS organisations have checked their written policies to ensure they have no inappropriate age discrimination. Only a small number of age-related written policies were found, and the evidence base for them is being reviewed. A tool to help identify incidence of implicit age discriminationby comparing, across the country, the rates of 10 hospital procedures by different age groupshas been provided and this is currently being developed further. We have funded Age Concern to run eight events on age discrimination across England later this year.

Anti-social Behaviour

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial assistance has been available from his Department in each of the last five years for initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Bob Ainsworth: I have been asked to reply.
	During the period in question, the Home Office has provided programme funding to tackle crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. We have also provided record numbers of police officers and police support staff, and tackling anti-social behaviour is firmly embedded as one of our four key priorities in the National Policing Plan. As part of the Crime Reduction Programme the CCTV Initiative has provided 170 million across England and Wales. The Communities Against Drugs programme provided crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs) with a share of 120 million over 200103 with 50 million allocated in year one and 70 million in year two. The Safer Communities Initiative provided additional funding of 20 million in 200203. In 200203 19 million was available for the new community support officer initiative, and 41 million will be available in 200304.
	Each of these initiatives has enabled partnerships to fund a wide range of interventions, including means to tackle anti-social behaviour where this has been identified as a local priority. 75 million is being made available over the next three years, specifically to support the drive to tackle anti-social behaviour.
	The Home Office also contributes to various diversionary schemes for young people. The results have been encouraging and evidence from them suggests strong arguments for the potentially positive contribution that diversionary activities can make in helping and preventing young people who are involved, or are at risk of becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Autism

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement the National Autism Plan for Children; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We welcome this plan and its recommendations for good practice in providing for the increasing numbers of children being identified with autistic spectrum disorders. The plan will inform the care pathway for autism that is being developed for the forthcoming children's national service framework.

Autism

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that the rights of autistic people are protected under the Mental Health Acts.

Jacqui Smith: It is Government policy to ensure that the rights of all patients treated under mental health legislation are protected, particularly those of vulnerable groups such as people with autism.
	The Mental Health Act 1983 sets out the circumstances in which someone with a mental disorder may be treated without their consent, provides rights of access to review by an independent tribunal and other safeguards for the patient. The proposals set out in the draft Mental Health Bill, as published in June 2002, would improve the protection of patients' rights by, for example, requiring all compulsory treatment beyond 28 days to be independently authorised by the new Mental Health Tribunal and by providing specialist advocacy.

Benzodiazepine

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines 1988 Guidelines that benzodiazepines should not be prescribed for longer than four weeks;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the scale of benzodiazepine addiction;
	(3)  what plans he has to improve the provision of treatment for benzodiazepine addicts.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is concerned to prevent benzodiazepine dependence as well as to ensure treatment is available for those who have developed such dependence in both primary and secondary mental health care settings as well as within specialist drug misuse services.
	A range of talking therapies, such as anxiety management, which often includes reduction or cessation of tranquillisers, are available in the national health service, provided by clinical psychology departments, via day hospitals or community mental health teams.
	Improvements to the provision of such services are being carried out as part of the wide-ranging mental health modernisation programme. Supported by additional investment of over 300 million by 2004, national service framework for mental health (1999) provides in detail targets and milestones for the improvement of mental health services in primary and secondary care.
	There has been a steady decline in prescriptions for benzodiazepines from 23.9 million in 1980 to 13.0 million in 2001. This is in line with the Committee on the Safety of Medicines' 1988 advice which has been reiterated in the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Benzodiazepine Dependence (Mental Health Foundation, 1994), Drug Misuse and DependenceGuidelines on Clinical Management (Department of Health, 1 999) and the British National Formulary (biannual, British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain), all of which has been distributed to every doctor in England free of charge.
	Information on the scale of the benzodiazepine addiction is not collected centrally.

Care Homes

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the transition of nursing care costs in care homes from local councils to the NHS in St. Helens.

Jacqui Smith: We have taken measures to deliver all nursing care through the national health service, because this will be free at the point of use, and to remove the previous overlap whereby both the NHS and councils could provide nursing care. To effect this change, it has been necessary to extract from councils the funds spent on nursing care by local government, and to pass them to the NHS for re-allocation to primary care trusts.
	A survey of PCTs was carried out in December 2002 to establish the number of self-funders and the number of residents in care homes providing nursing care. Included within the survey was a request for information on the number of local authority supported residents for whom a Registered Nursing Care Contribution determination had been completed. This information has informed the allocation of funding to PCTs for 200304.
	St. Helens PCT declared 587 care home beds in its survey return, and has been allocated 2,632 million for NHS funded nursing care in 200304.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 96W, on care homes, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the package announced on 11 March in ensuring care home providers passed on the free nursing care contribution.

Jacqui Smith: The way that care homes take account of national health service funding when setting fees is a matter for them. The announcement on 11 March last year was about strengthening and safeguarding the rights of residents of care homes providing nursing care and ensuring that they have accurate information about the costs of providing that care. Following consultation on draft regulations earlier this year, we will shortly be bringing forward an amendment to the Care Homes Regulations that will ensure that residents get access to such information.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a person placed in a care home found on a first assessment not to be eligible for continuing care will be reassessed periodically.

Jacqui Smith: Guidance issued under cover of Local Authority Circular LAC(2002)13, that took effect from 7 April 2003, requires councils to review and re-assess the needs and circumstances of all care home residents admitted under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 on a routine basis. The guidance suggests that first reviews should be completed within three months of admission and thereafter reviews should be conducted at least annually. If a review indicated the possible need for substantial health services, then a comprehensive assessment, informed by the single assessment process, should be completed.

Care Homes

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of care homes are (a) privately owned and run, (b) publicly owned and privately run and (c) publicly owned and run.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not centrally available. At 31 March 2001 the latest date for which information is available, 93 per cent. of care homes were registered as being in the independent sector, the remaining 7 per cent. were local authority establishments.

Care of Elderly (Hemsworth)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on funding for care of the elderly in the Hemsworth constituency in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 28 April 2003
	Wakefield has benefited from the increases in social services funding in recent years. In 200203the authority's total social services resources increased, on a like for like basis, by 5.9 per cent. which followed on from a 6.9 per cent. increase in 200102. In 200304, Wakefield has received a 3.9 per cent. increase in their personal social services formula spending share. In addition, they received substantial additional resources from grants paid by the Department of Health. Most resources are allocated on an unhypothecated basis and it is for Wakefield to decide how much to use on services for older people.
	The allocations to the Eastern Wakefield and West Wakefield Primary Care Trusts are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Eastern Wakefield PCT Wakefield West PCT 
		
		
			 200304   
			 Allocation (000) 171,930 131,156 
			 Percentage 9.24 8.59 
			
			 200405   
			 Allocation (000) 189,117 143,375 
			 Percentage 10.0 9.32 
			
			 200506   
			 Allocation (000) 208,492 156,303 
			 Percentage 10.24 9.02 
			
			 Total   
			 Increase (000) 51,104 35,519 
			 Percentage 32.47 29.41

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people from each parliamentary constituency in the area (a) applied and (b) were interviewed for the post of chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority.

Jacqui Smith: Applications were received from people living in the following parliamentary constituencies:
	
		
			  Number of applications 
		
		
			 City of Chester 1 
			 Congleton 1 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 1 
			 Delyn 1 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 2 
			 Macclesfield 1 
			 Southport 2 
			 St. Helens South 1 
			 Wallasey 1 
			 Warrington North 2 
			 Warrington South 1 
			 Wirral West 1 
		
	
	Following sifting of these applications, interviews were held with people living in the following constituencies:
	
		
			  Number of interviews 
		
		
			 Delyn 1 
			 Southport 1 
			 St. Helens South 1 
			 Warrington South 1 
			 Wirral West 1

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments were made to the chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in the last year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The chair received 20,420 annual remuneration, plus 3,257.77 or expenses incurred while undertaking her duties on behalf of the strategic health authority.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names and job titles of those who served on the interviewing panel when the current chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority was appointed.

Jacqui Smith: The interview panel was made up of the following people:
	Mr. Michael TaylorNational Health Service Appointments Commission regional commissioner for the north west.
	Mrs. Jane IsaacsNHS Appointments Commission regional commissioner for the west midlands.
	Mrs. Dorothy Greenhalghindependent assessor.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests for meetings the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority has received from individual hon. Members since her appointment.

Jacqui Smith: According to records held by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority, four requests have been received by the chief executive from hon. Members between 1 April 2002 and 12 May 2003, two of which were from my hon. Friend for Warrington, North (Helen Jones).
	However, since her appointment on 1 April, the chief executive has been actively seeking to meet with each of the 27 hon. Members whose constituencies fall within the Cheshire and Merseyside boundary. She has met collectively with 17 hon. Members on 29 October 2002 and with 14 hon. Members on an individual basis. Six further one-to-one meetings have been arranged.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual salary is of the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority; and how much was claimed in expenses by the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in the last financial year.

Jacqui Smith: The annual salary of the chief executive of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is 118,104 1 and the total amount reimbursed to her in respect of expenses incurred while undertaking duties on behalf of the SHA from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was 1,317.79.
	1 This is within the range specified in the national advertisement for the post, uplifted by 3.5 per cent. (inflationary increase) on 1 April 2003.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time taken by the Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority to reply to letters from hon. Members has been in the last 12 months; and what the average time between the receipt of a letter from an hon. Member requesting a meeting with the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority and such a meeting taking place was in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: The average time taken by the chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (CMSHA) to reply to the six letters she has received from hon. Members in the last 12 months is four days. The average time between receipt of a letter from an hon. Member requesting a meeting with the Chief Executive of the CMSHA and the meeting taking place was 26 days.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority spent on recruitment consultants during 200203; how much is budgeted for 200304; and if he will list consultants used.

Jacqui Smith: There was no spending on recruitment consultation by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in 200203, and there is no expenditure planned on such services for 200304.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff members of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority have cars provided as part of their package of remuneration; and at what cost.

Jacqui Smith: Some staff who were transferred into Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) have cars provided as part of their package of remuneration under preserved terms and conditions of employment.
	For new staff, the SHA operates a lease car scheme, which is subject to a value for money test. Under this scheme, 17 staff have lease cars at a total annual cost of 54,167. The average cost is 3,186.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Health Authority spent on (a) contracted architectural services and (b) controlled chartered surveyors in 200203; and if he will list the firms used.

Jacqui Smith: No costs were incurred by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority on architectural or chartered surveyor services in 200203.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits to EU countries have been made by officials on behalf of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority during 200203; what the cost was of such visits; how many non-executive directors were involved in each case; what the average cost was per visit; and what the purpose was of the visit in each case.

Jacqui Smith: Officials from the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) made two visits to European Union countries in 200203. The total cost of these visits was 834.20, at an average cost of 417.10. No non-executive directors of the SHA were involved in these visits.
	The visits were to Rotterdam to attend a course for SHA medical and national health service human resource directors sponsored by the NHS Leadership Centre and to Copenhagen to present at a conference on health inequalities.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits to non-EU countries have been made by officials on behalf of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority during 200203; and what was the (a) destination, (b) cost and (c) purpose in each case.

Jacqui Smith: There have been no visits to non-European Union countries during 200203 by officials of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employment tribunals are in progress for (a) staff and (b) former staff of the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority.

Jacqui Smith: There are no employment tribunals in progress involving staff currently employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) or involving staff who were employed by the SHA during 200203.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff directly employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority are in receipt of performance-related pay; what the total cost of performance-related pay for staff is in 2003; and what the average value of such payments is.

Jacqui Smith: 20 staff employed by the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority transferred from the Department of Health on protected terms and conditions of employment, including performance-related payments. 30,000 was paid to these staff in 200203, an average value of 1,500.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority spent on entertaining during 200203.

Jacqui Smith: There was no spending on entertaining by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority in 200203. There was some spending on refreshments and food at meetings.

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings the chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority has had with (a) hon. Members, (b) regional public bodies and (c) individual trust chairs since her appointment.

Jacqui Smith: Since the establishment of the Cheshire and Mersey Strategic Health Authority on 1 April 2002, the chair has met collectively with hon. Members on one occasion, on 29 October at the House and individually with hon. Members on six occasions, with ministerial colleagues on four occasions, with representatives of the north west Government Office and/or the North West Development Agency on three occasions and with individual trust chairs on 97 occasions.

Child Prisoners

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what adjustments have been made to central Government financial support for councils to enable them to assume obligations for children in prisons within their boundaries under the Children Act 1989;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the financial implications for local authorities of their responsibilities under the Children Act 1989 for children in prisons within their boundary.

Jacqui Smith: Prison Service establishments are one of a number of institutions that lead to 'out of area' children creating demands on local services in the areas where the institutions are situated. The duties of councils with social services responsibilities towards children, including those in prisons, are set out in the Children Act 1989 and its associated regulations and guidance. In order to assist councils in making their decisions, the Government are committed to reducing the level of ring fencing. As the Local Government White Paper Strong Local LeadershipQuality Public Services noted, too high a level of ring fencing undermines local management and democracy, leading to inefficiency in service delivery.
	The Formula Spending Share (FSS) was last reviewed in 2002 with the new formula being introduced from April 2003, to create the current children's distribution of children's allocations. The FSS will now be stable until 200607.

Children's Trusts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 605W, on children's trusts, when the pilot schemes will begin; how long they will run for; and when an assessment of their success will be completed.

Jacqui Smith: The successful pilot children's trusts will begin in 2003. These trusts will be on-going and an evaluation will be undertaken covering the period from establishment through the first three years of operation.

Children's Trusts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 605W, on children's trusts, if he will list the criteria that his Department will use to assess the proposals for each children's trust; when he expects to make an announcement regarding who has been successful; and when the children's trusts will become operational.

Jacqui Smith: Children's trusts will be assessed on the basis of the criteria set out in annex B of the guide published on 28 January on children's trusts. Potential sites are still being assessed. Ministers will make an announcement about successful applications once they have had time to consider in detail the information gained through the assessment process. Children's trusts will become operational in 2003.

Choice of Doctor

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has held with the Southend-on-Sea Primary Care Trust on the application of the Choice of Doctor Regulations 1998; and what powers he has in the event of a breach of these regulations.

David Lammy: holding answer 13 May 2003
	These regulations place duties on primary care trusts (PCTs) to assist patients to register with a general practitioner or personal medical services pilot provider. On 16 April, Southend-on-Sea PCT sought advice from the Department on the effect of the regulations. In reply, also on 16 April, the Department confirmed its agreement with the PCT's interpretation of the regulations.

Choice of Doctor

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he will take to ensure that residents in Castle Point affected by closure of the Walker Drive general practitioners practice are given a choice of new general practitioner.

David Lammy: holding answer 13 May 2003
	This is a matter for the local primary care trusts, which are both taking steps to increase primary care capacity and to ensure that the patients concerned are aware of the options open to them.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter to him of 7 April 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Marion Ratnor.

Alan Milburn: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 14 May 2003.

Dementia

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to provide additional financial support towards care costs of sufferers of dementia.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are committed to improving standards of health and social care and people with dementia will benefit from the new investment that is being made available to support this commitment.
	For example this financial year the Government have made 584 million available to fund care home residents' nursing care costs. Anyone in a care home providing nursing care will have benefited from this including people with dementia. Recently issued guidance emphasises that nurses, in determining residents' needs for nursing care, should be particularly mindful of the needs of people with dementia.
	100 million has been awarded in 200304 under the Carers Grant to local councils to provide short-term breaks for carers to enable them to continue their caring role: carers of people with dementia will benefit from this grant. The Carers Grant has been extended to 2006 during which time it will more than double to 185 million to provide extended care and 130,000 further breaks for carers.
	There have been substantial increases in the level of funding provided for social services in recent years. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 17 April 2002 our intention to increase resources to social services by an annual average of 6 per cent. in real terms from 200304 to 200506. In addition the very significant increases in national health service funding will help provide new and better health services for people with dementia.

Dementia

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether persons suffering from dementia are tagged in (a) NHS hospitals and (b) nursing homes; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The routine use of electronic tagging is not acceptable but it may be justified on an individual basis. It is very rare for people with dementia to be tagged.

Digital Hearing Aids

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have fitted digital hearing aids; and how many they have fitted.

Jacqui Smith: The table shows those national health service trusts and primary care trusts that have fitted digital hearing aids as part of the modernising hearing aid services (MHAS) project, along with the sites where the aids are fitted. It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of the number of aids fitted at each site but a total of 83,397 digital hearing aids, including about 1,600 children's hearing aids, were fitted as part of the MHAS project by the end of April 2003. In addition, a number of sites have applied for access to the Purchasing and Supply Agency's contracts for digital hearing aids outside the project. Information is not held centrally regarding the number of digital aids fitted outside the MHAS programme.
	
		
			 Modernised Sites   
		
		
			 Addenbroke's NHS Trust Addenbrooke's Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust Oldchurch Hospital Adult 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT Vicarage Fields Health Centre Child 
			 Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust Basildon and Thurrock Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust Birmingham Children's Hospital Child 
			 Bolton Primary Care NHS Trust Royal Bolton Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Bournemouth Primary Care Trust Boscombe Community Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust Bradford Royal Infirmary Adult/Child 
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust Royal Sussex County Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust Manchester Royal Infirmary Adult/Child 
			 Central Manchester PCT Moss Side Health Centre Child 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust Sunderland Royal Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust Countess of Chester Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Croydon PCT Crystal Centre, Croydon Child 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust Macclesfield District General Hospital Adult/Child 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Conquest Hospital/ Princess Alice Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust Essex County Hospital Adult/Child 
			 George Elliot Hospital NHS Trust George Elliot Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Child 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust Charing Cross Hospital Adult/Child 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust James Paget Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Leeds General Infirmary Adult/Child 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust Mayday University Hospital Adult 
			 Mid Cheshire Healthcare NHS Trust Leighton Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Morecombe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust Westmorland General Hospital Adult 
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust North Hampshire Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Northern Devon NHS Healthcare Trust North Devon District Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust Edith Cavell Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Queens Medical Centre Nottingham University NHS Trust Queens Medical Centre Adult/Child 
			 Rochdale NHS Trust Birch Hill Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Royal Berkshire And Battle Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading Adult/Child 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Cornwall Hospital Adult 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare NHS Trust Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital Adult 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Royal Free Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Liverpool University Hospital Adult 
			 Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal Hospitals Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust Royal United Hospital Bath Adult 
			 Salford Primary Care NHS Trust Hope Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust City Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Trust Sheffield Children's Hospital Child 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust King's Mill Centre Adult 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust King's Mill Centre Child 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust Royal South Hants Hospital Adult 
			 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust Princess Margaret Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust Trafford General Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust Hearing Assessment Centre for Children Child 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust (Child) Bristol Children's Hospital Child 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust Selly Oak Hospital Adult 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Leicester Royal Infirmary Adult/Child 
			 West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust Dorset County Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust Hurst Road Health Centre Adult/Child 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust Royal Hampshire County Hospital Adult 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead PCT King Edward VII Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust Arrowe Park Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Wolverhampton Health Care NHS Trust West Park Rehabilitation Hospital Adult/Child 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust Thomas Linacre Centre Child

Doctors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 606W, on doctor numbers (Lancashire), when the number of doctors per 100 beds in each of the Lancashire NHS trusts will have been validated; and if he will write to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley with the information about how many have been validated.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Medical and dental staff, available beds and staff per 100 beds within trusts in Lancashire: 200102 -- Number (headcount)
		
			   Staff Beds(17) Staff per 100 beds 
		
		
			  
			  
			  All Lancashire Trusts 1,931 5,438 35.5 
			  
			 RBV Christie Hospital NHS Trust 111 268 41.5 
			 REU Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust 252 810 31.1 
			 RJX Calderstones Hospital NHS Trust 15 232 6.5 
			 RMB Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care 269 825 32.6 
			 RMC Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 282 994 28.4 
			 RME Communicare NHS Trust 74 93 79.4 
			 RMG Guild Community Healthcare NHS Trust 56 214 26.2 
			 RMR Blackpool Victoria 326 726 44.9 
			 RVT North Sefton and West Lancashire Community NHS Trust 16 49 32.7 
			 RJU and RMF Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust(18) and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust(18) 530 1,228 43.2 
		
	
	(17) Average daily number of available beds
	(18) These two trusts merged on 1 August 2002. For 200102 they provided a combined return on bed numbers and therefore it is not possible to show the number of staff per 100 beds on an independent trust basis.
	Sources:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census, as at 30 September 2001
	Department of Health form KH03, 200102

Electronic Magnifiers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make electronic magnifiers available on the NHS.[R]

David Lammy: Electronic magnifiers are considered to be aids to daily living and as such, their provision is the responsibility of social services departments. They can provide these if they are felt to be warranted. However hand-held, stand and spectacle-mounted magnifiers are considered to be more widely available, more accessible, easier to use and more cost effective.
	The hospital eye service is responsible for providing optical devices and loans, low vision aids, such as high powered reading lenses, hand-held and stand magnifiers and telescopes to visually impaired people .
	In some parts of the country low vision aids are provided by community based opticians, the service being funded by primary care trusts.

Foundation Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which NHS trusts he will give approval to apply for first-wave NHS foundation trust status.

Alan Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement that I gave yesterday, 14 May 2003, Official Report, columns 910WS.

Home Adaptations

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of individuals who are unable to return home from hospital because of the need for adaptations to their homes in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) East Staffordshire.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

David Lammy: Records are not maintained by the Department of Health which enable ill health retirements to be separately identified as mental health related. For the Department of Health, the number of staff retired with a medical retirement certificate issued by the Civil Service pension scheme medical adviser for the period 1 April 200230 April 2003 was four.
	As to the matter of costs, expenditure for medical retirement is not met by the employing departments, but centrally funded from the Civil Superannuation Vote.

Mental Health

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year.

David Lammy: The Department does not currently gather information in the form requested.

Mental Health Bill

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish a summary of the responses his Department has received on the consultation for the draft Mental Health Bill; and if he will make a statement on the progress made in redrafting the draft Mental Health Bill.

Jacqui Smith: We received almost 2,000 responses to the consultation. Work on the Mental Health Bill continues carefully and a Bill will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows. The results of the consultation will be made public before the introduction of the Bill.

Mental Health Services

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure per head for mental health services was in each English county in the last five years; and how many (a) consultants and (b) nurses were engaged in mental health in each health authority area in the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the expenditure per head on mental illness by health authorities and primary care trusts between 199798 and 200102 has been placed in the Library. The data relates to the commissioning of secondary mental illness only, information on primary expenditure is note collected centrally. Information on the number of consultants and nurses working within mental health by strategic health authority between 1997 to 2001 has also been placed in the Library.

National Care Standards Commission

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the unit cost of each category of inspection undertaken by the National Care Standard Commission (a) was in 200203 and (b) will be in 200304.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not currently available. The National Care Standards Commission is undertaking an analysis of activity and financial data in order to estimate unit costs for 200203. The results of this work are expected to be available at the end of July.

National Care Standards Commission

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the views of consumers are obtained by the National Care Standards Commission; and how those views influence its work.

Jacqui Smith: The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) attaches a high priority to ensuring that service users are fully engaged in all that it does. The NCSC, as part of the implementation of its service user strategy, uses a mix of focus groups and inspection feedback tools to help evaluate the difference it is making to service users.

National Patients Survey

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the results of the first national patients' survey; and how much the survey cost.

David Lammy: Inpatient and general practitioner services were surveyed as part of the 2002 patient survey programme. The results have been disseminated to participating trusts on a strategic health authority-wide basis, to allow for cross-comparison and local benchmarking. This approach enabled strategic health authorities to maintain an overview of how results were formulated into trust-based follow-up plans.
	The average cost per participating trust in 2002 was 7,000 for National Health Service trusts and 3,000 for primary care trusts.

NHS Dentists

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places are available in 200304 for (a) dentists, (b) dental therapists, (c) dental hygienists and (d) dental nurses; and what the figures were in 199798.

David Lammy: Information on intake to dental schools and training commissions for professionals complementary to dentistry for 199798 and provisional figures for 200203 is shown in the table. We are committed to increasing the number of training commissions for dental therapists by 150 by 200405.
	
		
			  199798 200203(19) 
		
		
			 Dental students 668 696 
			 Dental therapists 38 40 
			 Dental hygienists 86 94 
			 Dental nurses 177 228 
		
	
	(19) Provisional

NHS Dentists

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dentists, (b) therapists, (c) hygienists and (d) nurses work in dental practices in which NHS dentistry is available.

David Lammy: The number of dentists on primary care trusts' lists or employed by the national health service at 30 September 2001 is shown in the table. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service, apart from dentists working in both the personal dental service (PDS) and the general dental service (GDS), who are counted in the CDS only.
	
		NHS Dental Services: Number of dentists at 30 September 2001 in England
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 General dental services 18,354 
			 Salaried service of GDS 86 
			 Personal dental services 467 
			 Community dental service 1,348 
			 Hospital dental services 2,184 
		
	
	It is estimated that 380 therapists were registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) in England in 2001, of whom 350 have been employed as therapists. It is not possible to determine the proportion of therapists currently performing NHS treatment.
	It is estimated that 3,400 dental hygienists were registered with the GDC in England in 2001 and that 89 per cent. of these were actually working as hygienists. It is not currently possible to determine what proportion of these hygienists undertake NHS work.
	There are around 27,000 dental nurses at present in the United Kingdom. However, registration is not compulsory and it is not possible to confirm this figure or to determine what proportion are working in the NHS.

NHS Dentists

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of training programmes to meet future levels of demand for NHS dentistry.

David Lammy: We are undertaking the first dental work force review since 1987 in consultation with the dental profession. We hope to publish a report later this year, together with work force planning assumptions for national health service work force development confederations and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. We are also committed to ensuring the review is regularly updated in future, to take account of policy development and change.

Nurses

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses there were per head of population in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West of England in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Over-Medication

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken since 4 December 2001 concerning over-medication of older people; and what progress has been made on the points listed in the reply to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam by the Minister.

Jacqui Smith: The hon. Member's concern was about inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotics. We have been monitoring the use of antipsychotics among older people. The rates per 1,000 population have remained fairly steady since 1999, with an increase in the proportion of atypical antipsychoticswhich is likely to be because they are better tolerated than traditional antipsychotics.
	Progress in relation to the main points covered by the reply is as follows:
	as part of the eighth wave of its work, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will be producing a guideline on dementia, which will cover the use of antipsychotics for people with dementia
	the new national minimum standards for care homes have been introduced, with standards relating to the administration of medicines
	the Medicines Partnership Taskforce and the National Prescribing Centre have developed a guide on medication review for practitioners and managers to optimise the use of medicines in older people and reduce the unwanted effects of medication and wastage from unused medicines
	many primary care trusts have devised innovative schemes where professionals review older people who are on four or more medicines regularly ensuring that they are still required and appropriately taken

Petitions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary petitions were referred to his Department in the last 12 months; and on how many were no government observations issued.

David Lammy: holding answer 13 May 2003
	Fifteen parliamentary petitions were referred to the Department of Health in the last 12 months. No government observations were provided for 10 of these.

Prescriptions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce waste in prescription arrangements, with particular reference to carrying out investigations as to how patients may avoid re-ordering medicines they do not need.

David Lammy: We are introducing a number of measures to reduce wastage of medicines.
	We have set up medicines management schemes to promote better use of medicines. 106 schemes are now in operation around the country and we are aiming for all primary care trusts to have schemes by 2004. One such scheme in Coventry recently reported it might save 150,000 per year through a range of measures designed to improve the effectiveness of local prescribing. Many general practitioner (GP) practices have hands-on support to help set up repeat prescribing systems, which will help reduce the re-ordering of medicines that patients do not need.
	We are funding a joint task force based at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to lead implementation of a national strategy to spread better understanding and partnerships between patients and health professionals on taking their medicines. This will promote the benefits of helping patients to take a more active role in managing their own care.
	We are introducing repeat dispensing, beginning with 30 pathfinder sites, and with the aim of having schemes in place nationwide by 2004. These will enable patients to have their medicines dispensed for up to a year by their pharmacy without having to go back to their GP. It will allow the pharmacist to check that the medicines are needed. Evidence from pilot studies has shown that repeat dispensing helps reduce waste.

Prison Health Services

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each prison the average amount of time available each week to give dental treatment to prisoners by qualified NHS dentists.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not available centrally.

Prison Health Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each year since 1997 the percentage of (a) women and (b) girls aged 15 to 17 years in prison with (i) drug problems and (ii) alcohol problems.

Jacqui Smith: Information is not available in the form requested. A survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales, undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics, showed that 44 per cent. of the women in the sample reported dependence on drugs and 38 per cent. reported hazardous levels of alcohol consumption in the year before coming into prison. Within these figures, the rates for young women aged between 16 and 20 were 57 per cent. and 50 per cent. respectively.

Prison Health Services

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the mental health services available to girls aged 15 to 17 in prison.

Jacqui Smith: All Prison Service establishments and their national health service partners are working to implement the improvements to mental health services set out in Changing the Outlook, a Strategy for Developing and Modernising Mental Health Services in Prisons published in December 2001. Prisoners who need in-patient treatment for mental disorder may be transferred to psychiatric hospitals. The care and treatment of mentally disordered prisoners who do not need to be admitted to hospital is generally undertaken by prison healthcare staff under the supervision of NHS specialists and, increasingly, by NHS-funded, multi-disciplinary, mental health in-reach teams. Such teams are already in operation or being developed at six of the establishments that hold young women aged 15 to 17 and one is to be introduced at the seventh during this financial year.

Registered Nursing Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many self-funders there are in each of the bands of registered nursing care.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 7 April 2003, Official Report, columns 10708W.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Education (Capital Spending)

Mr. Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public funding has been allocated for capital expenditure projects to the maintained and controlled education sectors in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The amount of public funding allocated for major capital projects 1 and for capital projects under my Department's Specialist Accommodation Programme, to improve facilities in Science, Technology and Design and ICT, over the last five years is as follows:
	
		 million
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Controlled Schools Sector 29 35 73 72 139 
			 Maintained Schools Sector(21) 25 27 67 55 29 
		
	
	(20) Funding announced in March preceding the financial year.
	(21) Includes Catholic Maintained Schools and Irish Medium schools but excludes Voluntary Grammar Schools and Grant Maintained Integrated schools

Health and Personal Social Services

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) clinical staff and (b) non-clinical staff are employed on health and personal social services in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: Figures showing the number of clinical and non-clinical staff working in health and personal social services in Northern Ireland are shown separately in the following tables.
	
		Table 1: Clinical staff in HPSS organisations as at 31 March 20031
		
			 Terms and conditions group Headcount WTE(23) 
		
		
			 Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting 19,273 16,425.18 
			 Social Services 4,391 4,037.64 
			 Professional and Technical 5,598 4,949.91 
			 Medical and Dental 3,072 2,781.22 
			 Ambulance 111 774.38 
			 Total 33,111 28,968.33 
		
	
	(22) Bank staff and home helps have been removed from these figures
	(23) Whole time equivalent
	
		Table 2: Non-clinical staff in HPSS organisations as at 31March 2003(24)
		
			 Terms and conditions group Headcount WTE(25) 
		
		
			 Admin and clerical 11,582 10,199.10 
			 Works and maintenance 554 554.00 
			 Ancillary and general 7,242 5,299.01 
			 Total 19,378 16,052.11 
		
	
	(24) Bank staff and home helps have been removed from these figures
	(25) Whole time equivalent

Job Opportunities

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs have (a) been created and (b) disappeared in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Ian Pearson: An exact figure for the number of jobs created and disappeared in the period requested is not available. However, figures from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) can be used to estimate the net change in the employee job level in the last five years. The latest seasonally adjusted figures from the QES show that between December 1997 and December 2002 there was a net increase of 54,470 (+9.0 per cent.) employee jobs in Northern Ireland.
	Over the five year period to May 2003, there were 23,951 redundancies in Northern Ireland confirmed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Learning Difficulties

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what after school provision exists in Northern Ireland for young people with moderate learning difficulties; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of such provision.

Jane Kennedy: I would refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 29 April 2003, Official Report, column 334W. A working group has been established to consider what could be done to better meet the needs of these young people. Work is on-going.

Manufacturing Industry

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of the Budget on manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: Productivity is vital in improving the competitiveness of manufacturing industry. Budget 2003 introduced a number of new measures that should enable United Kingdom companies, including those in Northern Ireland, to meet the productivity challenge.
	The Research and Development tax credit will be made more accessible to small companies in particular through a number of measures including a reduction in the minimum expenditure threshold from 25,000 to 10,000. This will increase the number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) benefiting from the scheme. There will also be a one year extension of the 100 per cent. First Year ICT capital allowances scheme. This will be available to 89,000 small businesses in Northern Ireland.
	VAT compliance costs will be reduced for small and newly registered businesses thus benefiting 13,000 businesses in Northern Ireland. In addition, further steps have been taken to further boost enterprise in enterprise areas, which includes 230 wards in Northern Ireland. From 10 April 2003 all non-residential transactions are now exempt from stamp duty in these enterprise areas.
	The measures announced in Budget 2003 build on those announced in previous budgets (such as the introduction of the 125 per cent. RD tax credit for large companies and the reduction in the corporation tax starting rate for small companies). The net effect of the Government's corporation tax changes since 1997 is to reduce the corporation tax rates to the lowest in UK history. Manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland now faces one of the lowest tax burdens in the EU.

Nursery Schemes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will increase the level of funding for nursery scheme places in the private and voluntary playschool sector.

Jane Kennedy: Under the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme, the rate of funding for places in the private/voluntary sector is increased each academic year in line with inflation. In the current year (200203) the grant to playgroups for each funded place is 1,230. From September 2003 the rate will rise to 1,265 per place.

Primary School Transfer Tests

Mrs. Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure consistency in the marking of the transfer tests for pupils attending all types of primary education.

Jane Kennedy: The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has responsibility for setting and marking the transfer tests and takes all necessary steps to ensure consistency in the marking of the tests for all pupils.
	The test papers completed by the pupils are identified through school and pupil numbers only. Neither the names of the schools nor the names of the pupils appear anywhere on the test papers. Only senior supervisory staff have access to the list connecting school names and numbers.
	The test papers are marked under strictly controlled conditions by temporary staff employed for the purpose. A different marker marks each section on a test paper. Every question of every paper is marked at least twice. All papers close to borderlines are marked a third time. Senior professional staff, who have been involved in the process of test construction, are required to adjudicate on any answers given by pupils that are not clearly accommodated by the marking scheme.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Ali Serir

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed deportation to Algeria of Ali Serir; and whether his marriage to Karen Serir is recognised.

Beverley Hughes: Mr. Serir is due to be removed from the United Kingdom on 16 May 2003, under administrative powers contained in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; he is not being deported. Mr. Serir lodged an application for leave to remain on 24 March 2003 on the basis of his marriage to a British citizen. This application was refused on 25 March 2003.

Antisocial Behaviour

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the accuracy and consistency of data on anti-social behaviour collected by constabularies; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Home Office is currently undertaking work to establish a common definition for anti-social behaviour to enable more accurate statistical data to be collected.
	Recorded crime statistics do not currently include figures on anti-social behaviour although statistics are published for certain offences that might be regarded as anti social, e.g. criminal damage Recorded crime statistics are collected in accordance with the Home Office Counting Rules which are instructions aimed at providing consistency across all police forces in England and Wales. The introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard nationally from 1 April 2002 further aims to improve the consistency of data collected by forces.
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary collects data on calls for service on community disorder although these are primarily for inspection purposes. Returns are accepted as accurate if they are consistent with returns for the previous year. Guidance to forces asks for an explanation where data differ to what might be expected.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the backlog in asylum claims.

Beverley Hughes: We have already delivered a substantial reduction in the number of outstanding asylum claims from 121,200 at the end of January 2000. Through a range of measures, including more efficient processes and additional resources, the number of outstanding applications had reduced to 40,800 at the end of December 2002 (the latest date for which published data are currently available).
	We are determined to reduce the number of outstanding applications to normal work in progress levels as quickly as possible in order to achieve this, we are pursuing a clear strategy to reduce the intake of new, unfounded claims, including further radical reform of the asylum system through the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, tighter border controls, new visa regimes, and the replacement of exceptional leave to remain with a new narrower category of humanitarian protection, as well as increasing the proportion of failed asylum seekers who are removed.In addition, we will continue to speed up the decision making process whilst maintaining high quality decisions.
	Information on the number of outstanding asylum applications is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	Information on the number of outstanding asylum applications at the end of March will be published on 22 May.

Asylum Support

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 3 March, Official Report, column 824W, on asylum support, what the 3 digit postcode location is of the accommodation provided by the private companies with NASS contracts.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Community Support Officers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers will be funded by his Department in North Yorkshire; how long the community support grant will last; and what funding will be available after the community support grant ends.

Bob Ainsworth: On 2 May my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary allocated Home Office funding for 30 community support officers in North Yorkshire. This funding provides 50 per cent of the salary and direct on costs for these officers until the end of financial year 200506.
	North Yorkshire, as with all other forces in this round of funding, has secured commitments for the remainder of the cost of its community support officers from local partners. Extending as it does for the next two years, the funding structure allows forces to develop local arrangements to cover the full costs by 2006.

Distraction Burglaries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidences of distraction burglary there were in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the number of incidences of distraction burglary that go unreported each year.

Bob Ainsworth: pursuant to his answer, 21 March 2003, c. 969W,
	Owing to an administrative error the answer given was incorrect information. The correct answer is as follows:
	There is no separate recordable offence of distraction burglary and figures for distraction burglaries have not been routinely collected centrally. However, figures we have received from police forces in special exercises indicate the following numbers of domestic burglaries in England and Wales were recorded as distraction burglaries:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 199899 15,526 
			 200001 15,882 
			 200102 19,397 
		
	
	The figure of 19,397 for 200102, which was quoted in a previous reply to the hon. Member on 21 October 2002, Official Report, column 98W, was based on estimates in the case of those forces for which we had not received figures. The revised figure reflects data, which has since been received.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS2002), which includes crimes not reported to or recorded by the police, estimated that six per cent of burglaries involve gaining access by false pretences. The BCS also estimates that there were 991,000 burglaries in England and Wales in 200102, which suggests that there were some 60,000 distraction burglaries.
	From 200304 we will be collecting numbers of recorded distraction burglaries centrally from police forces.

European Union Vignettes

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce which company has been awarded the tender for provision of a system to issue European Union vignettes.

Beverley Hughes: Discussions are still on-going on this tender and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary hopes to announce which company has been awarded the tender by mid June.

G8

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Meeting of G8 Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs in Paris on 5 May; and what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed.

Bob Ainsworth: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and my noble Friend Lord Goldsmith attended the meeting, which focused on global terrorism, illegal immigration and organised crime.
	G8 Ministers agreed to set up a high-level working group to examine the technical options for Biometrics, such as facial or iris recognition and fingerprints, and to produce recommendations for international standards before the end of the year. Ministers also strongly supported the G8 strategy on 'Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet', agreed in October 2002 including the development of a new International Child Pornography Image Database.
	G8 Ministers also discussed the following issues:
	ways of evaluating and preventing the threat of terrorism
	proposals for taking forward work on special investigative techniques
	future work of the Roma and Lyon expert groups on terrorism and organised crime
	endorsement of G8 Principles on the protection of Critical Information Infrastructures, the tracing, freezing and confiscation of assets and the sharing of DNA data.
	The conclusions of the meeting are set out in full in a Presidency Communiqu, a copy of which I shall place in the Library.
	The Government are committed to combating global terrorism, illegal immigration and organised crime and fully support the G8 initiatives.

Immigration Rules

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, following the recent changes made to paragraph 284 of the Immigration Rules, he will take steps to make it clear that the holder of a fianc(e) visa of six months' duration can apply for their spouse visa in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: It was never intended that the no switching provisionprohibiting those given leave to enter for six months or less from switching into marriagewould include those given leave to enter as fiancs. This will be made absolutely clear in the next rules change.

Immigration Rules

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when, following the recent changes made to paragraph 287 of the Immigration Rules, the current holder of a 12 month duration spouse visa issued in March or earlier can apply for their Indefinite Leave to Remain visa; and whether such a person may apply for indefinite leave to remain near the end of their current 12 month visa.

Beverley Hughes: The recent increase in the probationary period on marriage to two years will not affect applications to remain on the basis of marriage made before 1 April. The probationary period in these cases will remain one year and applications for settlement can be made no more than one month in advance of the end of the probationary period.

Israeli Embassy Bombing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions the British scientists investigating the 1994 Israeli embassy and Balfour house bombings reached on (a) the type and amount of explosive and mechanism used in the bombings, (b) where the explosives were made up, (c) where the car bombs were assembled, (d) who wrote the letters claiming responsibility and (e) who drove the cars; and what reports were received from Israeli scientists following removal of samples from the sites.

David Blunkett: I have arranged for my officials to place copies of such transcripts of the original trial as are available in the Library. From which my hon. Friend will be able to draw relevant conclusions.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Veria on 28 and 29 March 2003; and what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed.

David Blunkett: At the meeting in Veria on 2829 March 2003, Ministers discussed current developments in the area of asylum, in particular hearing from Ruud Lubbers, head of the United Nations' High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). I set out the Government's ideas on establishing zones of protection and transit processing centres for refugees outside the EU's borders. Ministers also examined the effectiveness of financial resources available at Community level to take forward the work mandated by the Seville European Council on management of the external EU border and co-operation with third countries on returning illegal immigrants. The Commission also confirmed the arrangements put in place at EU level to cope with the potential influx of refugees from Iraq.
	John Bruton, Chairman of the JHA Working Group in the Future of Europe Convention, gave details of the proposed JHA Treaty Articles. During the subsequent discussion my noble Friend (Lord Filkin) stressed the importance of ensuring that the new Treaty clearly defined those tasks which were necessary at European Union level and those which were for Member States. At European level, the focus should be on cross-border issues where there would be proper facilitation of mutual recognition. Lord Filkin also noted that the idea of a European Public Prosecutor presented real problems of accountability.
	Justice Ministers also discussed the Commission's recent Green Paper on procedural safeguards in criminal proceedings. Lord Filkin said that action at EU level should be based on the principles of mutual recognition and subsidiarity and should avoid over-regulation.

Mosques

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to monitor attacks on mosques in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The police are alert to the risk of attacks on mosques and other places of worship, and have arrangements for reporting such incidents centrally. A Muslim Safety Forum, which includes a wide range of Muslim community representation, meets monthly with the police to discuss community safety issues.
	The Government are fully committed to tackling Islamophobia wherever it occurs. The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 introduced nine new religiously-aggravated offences, including assault and criminal damage, where the maximum penalties available to the courts are substantially increased if it can be shown that there was evidence of religious hostility to the offences.
	The investigation of possible breaches of these laws is an operational matter for the police and then the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue. We would therefore urge anyone who believes these laws to have been breached to report the matter to the police.

Mosques

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the incidence of attacks on mosques in the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: According to police figures, between 14 February and 26 March there were eight recorded instances of attacks on mosques, resulting in each case in minor criminal damage. Since 26 March there have been only two further recorded instances of criminal damage to mosques.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the directional signing to the Immigration Reception Centre, Oakington, from the A14.

Beverley Hughes: The Home Office will give consideration to the issue of additional directional signage to ensure that the apparent confusion over access to the Reception Centre is minimised. We will also take steps to ensure that all staff and visitors are aware of the most appropriate access to the Reception Centre to avoid the use of less suitable approaches to the Centre.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects no longer to require the use of the barracks at Oakington, Cambridgeshire, as an immigration reception centre.

Beverley Hughes: The use of the Oakington Reception Centre remains under consideration and I will write to the hon. Member when a final decision has been taken.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to change the legal status of the Immigration Reception Centre at Oakington.

Beverley Hughes: There are no plans to change the legal status of the Immigration Reception Centre at Oakington.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to protect staff and residents at the Immigration Reception Centre, Oakington, from the risk of transmission of the SARS virus from newly-arrived asylum applicants.

Beverley Hughes: We place great importance on the health and well-being of staff, process stakeholders and detainees at Oakington.
	Guidance from the World Health Organisation and the Public Health Laboratory Service in relation to SARS has been applied across the Immigration and Nationality Directorate as a whole, with managers carrying out additional local risk assessments. An additional risk assessment has been undertaken at Oakington. Any person displaying symptoms of SARS would not be detained there. In addition, persons who have travelled directly from Hong Kong or China, or who have otherwise been in Hong King or China in the last 14 days are not accepted.
	The situation in respect of SARS is being closely monitored in the light of advice from the Public Health Laboratory Service, and the risk assessment regularly reviewed and updated.

Oakington Reception Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 May, Ref 112425, what plans he has to increase expenditure on security at Oakington Immigration Reception Centre.

Beverley Hughes: I will carefully consider any recommendations made by the Immigration Security advisors, to increase security at the Oakington Immigration Reception Centre.

Passport Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department gives to members of the public on posting passports to the Passport Agency.

Beverley Hughes: Passport applicants have the choice of using the guaranteed services available at the Passport Service's public counters, handing in their application to one of the Service's partners offering the Check and Send service, or using the addressed envelope supplied with application forms, which is large enough to contain passports. No advice on how to post passports is given.

Passport Agency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims for lost passports the Passport Agency has received in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The UK Passport Service records information on passports reported missing after being posted by the Service. The information recorded for each of the last five years is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 not available 
			 1999 2,359 
			 2000 3,851 
			 2001 2,541 
			 2002 2,982

Police

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 202W, on the police, what the total expenditure by the Metropolitan Police on rental vehicles was in each of the last five years and for each month from April 2002 to March 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is set out in the tables, provided by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Due to changes in financial recording systems, the information for 199899 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		Totals for 19992003
		
			  Total (000) 
		
		
			 19992000 4,188 
			 200001 6,199 
			 200102 7,042 
			 200203 7,525 
		
	
	
		Breakdown for each month: April 2002 to March 2003
		
			  Total (000) 
		
		
			 April 2002 120 
			 May 2002 311 
			 June 2002 514 
			 July 2002 659 
			 August 2002 616 
			 September 2002 542 
			 October 2002 583 
			 November 2002 592 
			 December 2002 384 
			 January 2003 750 
			 February 2003 527 
			 March 2003 1,927 
			 Total 7,525

Stolen Goods

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to reduce the market in stolen goods.

Bob Ainsworth: Under the Targeted Policing Initiative (part of the Crime Reduction Programme), which ran from 1999 to 2003, the Home Office provided funding totalling around 1.4 million to three market reduction projects in Stockport, Kent and West Mercia.
	We have also funded research into the impact of local legislation intended to regulate second-hand traders (particularly the Kent and Medway Acts 2001, but also other existing local legislation).
	The research undertaken on these market reduction projects is in the process of being completed. When the final results are available, we intend to convene a working group to consider the most effective way of reducing the market for stolen goods nationally (including the possibility of national legislation) and advise on the best way of disseminating the emerging good practice.
	The Immobilise Phone Crime campaign was launched on Tuesday 4 March. The industry can now stop stolen and lost phones being used on any network. The Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act 2002, came into force on 4 October 2002. The new legislation means up to five years in prison and/or unlimited fines for those reprogramming the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number on mobile phones, and those possessing, supplying or offering to supply equipment for that purpose.
	The barring of mobile phones reported as stolen across all UK networks should remove much of the incentive for stealing mobile phones.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Land Registration

Mark Tami: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much (a) agricultural and (b) other categories of land are not registered in the United Kingdom.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not currently collected centrally.
	One of the Land Registry's strategic objectives is to create a register with comprehensive content and national coverage of England and Wales by 2012. Currently, 19 million titles are registered and it has been estimated that in excess of 4 million titles could still remain to be registered throughout England and Wales.